Pride Review 5/21/06 - 5/28/06

[SkyBlueWater]

I’d like to start this review by saying thanks for all of the tips and advice I received from Cruise Critic members prior to this cruise. While this is my first post, I have been reading these threads for months now. Now that I am getting this first post over with, hopefully I won’t be too shy to post again!

Embarkation – Arrived at the Long Beach port at 11:30 am, stepped foot on the Pride around 1:30 pm. Based on what I heard about the Long Beach port, I was expecting it to be unpleasant, but it found it to be smoother than the embarkation at Miami on our last cruise in February of 2003. I went into it with the mind set that it’s like the airport, expect to do some standing in line. Also I think it is remarkable that they can unload 2,000+ people and their luggage, and then turn around load that many more on again in a matter of hours, so the fact that we got to be on board so early prior to sailing was a bonus.

The Ship – I loved the décor of the Pride. I also noticed it was kept clean for the entire cruise. (When we cruised on the Victory in 2003, we noticed the up keep seemed to slide as the week went on.) The staff was friendly and really seemed to care about our experience. The cruise director eventually grew on us. The formal night was fun, as was the pool party on Tuesday night. Jerome, the late night comedian on Friday night was pretty good. We went to the Taj Mahal for the free cruise drawing on Saturday night and end up sticking around for the Carnival Legends show (glorified karaoke). The show wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t drop what I am doing to go see it.

Dining room – We only ate in the formal dining room for one dinner – the first formal night. This was the one poor experience we had on the ship. Our waiter had no personality, not a huge deal, but if he had had a great personality, it maybe would have made up for the poor service. I ordered a glass of wine, and a half hour later, I had to asked for it again. It was my DH and I, and another couple at our table. We each received our courses at different times. And finally, after our main course, our dessert order was taken about 20 minutes later, and then after 25 minutes after our order being taken, we finally left. The dining room was about 80% empty at that time, and the only people who were there, were chatting, drinking coffee, etc. We had felt forgotten and we wanted to move on with our evening. This by no means ruined our vacation. It factored in for us not going back to the dining room, but my DH is a picky eater, so we probably would not have eaten there too often anyway. The other couple at our table had had the same experience the night before, and when we bumped into them later in the week, the service for them had not improved, so it does not sound like our waiter was having an off night.

David’s Supper Club – Wonderful! As stated, my DH is a picky eater (meat & potatoes kind of guy), but even he loved the supper club. The service was fantastic, the food was wonderful, and it was a relaxing evening. I recommend it, especially for a romantic evening.

Stateroom – We had room 8242, a balcony room on the Panorama deck, aft, port side. This was our first balcony experience for us and I have to say that I don’t know if I could go back to not having one! I just loved going out first thing in the morning, or anytime for that matter! I was nervous about having the Lido deck right above us, but we were not bothered by any noise. Well, except the night that they threw a party for some of the crew. It stared at 11 p.m. and went on until 2 a.m. or so. The bass of the music was thumping and we could hear screams and laughing, but we are late night people ourselves, and I really didn’t want to complain, as I think it’s cool that Carnival does that kind of thing for it’s employees.

Days at sea – Monday and Tuesday - Beautiful weather. Perfect for laying by the pool. I didn’t have any difficulty finding a deck chair, but of course it depends on where you want to be. The prime real estate was around the Venus pool where the calypso band played. I had to settle for the another pool.

Puerto Vallarta – Wednesday - I won’t get too detailed with the ports since I think the port experience really varies on the activities you end up doing. Puerto Vallarta was hot and humid. We did the Tequila and Old Town tour through the ship. The guide was entertaining and knowledgeable. We got to see a variety of places, and if you like tequila, I would recommend this tour. Lots of sampling!

Mazatlan – Thursday - In Mazatlan, we hooked up with a tour company that was standing at the end of the gangway. There were ten of us in the van, and as a group we had some say in where we went and for how long. It was a good way to see old and new Mazatlan. The weather that was perfect.

Cabo San Lucas - Friday - Warm, but windy. We didn’t have a excursion booked so we couldn’t take a tender off the ship until 10:30 am. The last tender back was at 3:30 pm, so it was a pretty limited visit. It’s very easy to get around Cabo as it is a small city. We took a bicycle taxi into town and just wandered around, ending our stay at Cabo Wabo Cantina. Fun place, probably even more fun at night. We would have liked to have a longer stay.

Days at Sea - Friday night – Saturday – As soon as we pulled out of bay at Cabo San Lucas, the wind picked up and the decks pretty much cleared out. The ride home is pretty rocky. The highest wind we spotted on the t.v. channel was 35 mph, but it was more consistently around 25 mph. The shipped traveled between 20-22 knots. Combine those two factors and you have one bumpy ride. My DH and I loved it. But in overhearing conversations around the ship, I know there were quite a few people who had lost their appetites. We found that a fun place to experience this ride was in the Starry Night lounge, which is located on port side, forward. You get a wonderful view of the collision of the waves and the ship. Water fireworks was the best description we could come up with, but really have to see it for yourself.

Debarkation – Very smooth. We had an early flight so we in the first group to get off the ship. We thought we might have to do self-assist to get off early, but early flights were given priority to the self-assist group. We waited in the Taj Mahal until we were called. Customs did not take long, and finding our luggage was a breeze.

All in all, a wonderful time! I would say that a cruise (or any vacation) is what you make of it. There were things here and there and we could have let get to us, but I was there to enjoy myself, and not dwell on the negative. I don’t think I would recommend this itinerary to first time cruisers because of the trip back. I am afraid they might walk away from it thinking all trips are that rocky.

We can’t wait to go on another cruise, and I will keep reading Cruise Critic to get my cruise fix in the meantime!

[Astronomer]

Thank you so much for wirtting that!

 

My wife and I are very excited about our first cruise experience on the Carnival Pride in 25 more days! :)

 

thanks again!

[SkyBlueWater]

You'll have a great time. I forgot to note that the piano bar singer was really good, and we had great service at the back lido bar.

 

Can't wait to read your review when you return.

[SandyToes1978]

what a wonderful review, very honest and balanced. Don't be shy to post any more, I know I was at first to, just kinda lurked around and read stuff, but finally I just did it!

 

Again, thanks for the review, can't wait to go on the Pride, even if it is with my MIL!:eek: :p

[Astronomer]

You'll have a great time. I forgot to note that the piano bar singer was really good, and we had great service at the back lido bar.

 

Can't wait to read your review when you return.

 

My wife and I love a good Piano bar, we will certainly check that out!

 

thanks!

[cruzrdi]

We were on the same cruise, and really enjoyed it. We also had terrible service in the dining room every time we ate there. All dishes came at different times, so it made it very uncomfortable. No one wanted to eat until every one had their plates, it took anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes for all of us to get one course, and we were only at a table for 4. Some meals we didn't get our appetizers, some nights our salads. One night we didn't get dessert. I noticed that all the tables our waiter was serving were the same way. I don't know if it was a problem with the kitchen, the waitstaff or what. We ended up eating at the supper club twice and it was wonderful! We also enjoyed the food on lido deck. The rest of the cruise was great, and the crew was fabulous. The dining room problems sure didn't ruin our cruise, but we were dissapointed, as we've always had such good service on all our other cruises.

[spookwife]

we take this cruise in 18 days. Just got the call from our TA and I can now officially Do The Doc Dance! Hooray. :D

 

I certainly hope that the issues in the DR get solved by the time we go.. we don't do buffets at all unless there is no other choice, but either way, I'm the type who will say something if it goes on for more than one or two nights.

 

How did you find the on board entertainment of the non show variety? Mr Spook will be taking the canopy tour in PV all by his lonesome and I may stay behind for most of the day while he is flying through the air.

 

Did you partake of the spa or gym facilities at all?

[SkyBlueWater]

I like to lay in the sun, so that is what I did on the days at sea (when possible) and by the time I grabbed a bite to eat, took a nap, etc. the day was over and it was time for dinner, and evening activities. I never really did participate in any of the daytime organized activities. I also did not get to the gym or spa. I don't understand how people could ever get bored on a ship, I never find enough time to do everything that I would like to do. I did go sit in on the "Up Close and Personal" talk they had on Saturday. Basically it was a Q&A session with the CD and social hosts. Pretty informative, but they liked to joke around alot, so it was hard to get a straight answer out of them. But really, there was always something scheduled whether it was bingo, trivia, tea time, shopping/port talks, etc.

 

Your husband is brave. I really would have liked to have done the canopy tour, but I know myself. I would have freaked out. I am afraid of heights. We spoke with some couples who went on the canopy tour through the ship and I guess a couple of ladies were having nervous breakdowns of sorts.

[spookwife]

well, the reason he's going alone is b/c I am handicapped. tea time sounds just my speed!. He's a red head and skin cancer is prevalent in my family, so no sun worshipping for either of us. I'll probably just curl up with good book and a bottle of wine....

[KNITWITS]

We were just on the same cruise and like you we had a great time but felt the DR was a disaster!!! We've always, always,always had excellant service in the past on Carnival ships and couldn't believe the service. They must have been short staffed because we talked to several other cruisers this trip and everyone felt the same. We did mention it in the comments card, but didn't dock points. We felt that our server was really running ragged. We also had several missed courses and were served entrees willy-nilly. One night we got soup and then dessert-nothing in between, that's the only time we insisted on our food-I was looking forward to trying quail which was good when I finally got it!

The last night I have to agree was pretty rocky-it's the first time I've ever felt queasy even when we were out in Hurricane Jorges!

All in all we had an excellent trip though, can't wait to go again:)

Hubby

[Procruizer]

Thanks for that excellent review. I"m with a group of 16 that will be on the Pride 6-25. This vacation is sort of like a family reunion. Again, nice post and I'm happy you had the time of your life. Oh, by the way, if you ever go on this Mexican Rivera again try having lunch in PV at a place called "Chico's Paradise." This place is breath-taking. I'm taking my family there.

[gemz]

I fully agree with everyone that the service in the DR was not what I had experienced with Royal Caribbean, Princess or Celebrity. I don't even know the wait staff's name nor did they care to learn our names. I didn't get the feeling that we were guests or even pampered like I did with the other cruiselines. It is possible that the wait staff are just too busy now and their main concern is to just get the food on the table. However, overall the food was better than the other cruiselines except for the sad iceberg lettuce salad and same salad dressing every night and the store bought baked goods (croissants, danishes, etc). The breads lacked variety but overall the food tasted good and the beef selection was unmatched. The food was a little too salty in the buffet but again the variety was very good.

 

Having cruised through two hurricanes in the past, I fully agree that on the last sea day, that ship was rocking the entire day! I regret not taking the pills and putting on the wristbands a little earlier before getting sick.

 

I will post a complete review in a few days to compare Carnival with the other cruiselines.

[Curt Jerome Wild]

How did you find the on board entertainment of the non show variety? Mr Spook will be taking the canopy tour in PV all by his lonesome and I may stay behind for most of the day while he is flying through the air.

Did you partake of the spa or gym facilities at all?

 

Just so you know in general...

Spa services are usually discounted on port days (because most people are in port all day, and not useing the ship facilities).

On a couple of cruises I wanted to do some tours/activities that my fiance wasn't interested in, so she was more than happy to schedule some massages or facials or something (I'm a guy, I can't remember what she did exactly), and we'd meet up back in the cabin before dinner.

She said that it was great for the discounted port day price, but wouldn't have done it at the regular price.

But said that it was totally worth the discount.

Worked out well for both of us.

I just can't remember if she booked this on the first day (and they told her that the spa would be discounted on port days) or she called later after it was in the Capers.

Either way, worth looking into, and maybe doing a seperate post on when Carnival let's people know about the port day spa discounts.

Hope this helps in general.

CJW

[SkyBlueWater]

what a wonderful review, very honest and balanced. Don't be shy to post any more, I know I was at first to, just kinda lurked around and read stuff, but finally I just did it!

 

Again, thanks for the review, can't wait to go on the Pride, even if it is with my MIL!:eek: :p

 

Thanks! That's an appropriate word - 'lurk' - that's kind of how I felt. :D

[SkyBlueWater]

I fully agree with everyone that the service in the DR was not what I had experienced with Royal Caribbean, Princess or Celebrity. I don't even know the wait staff's name nor did they care to learn our names. I didn't get the feeling that we were guests or even pampered like I did with the other cruiselines. It is possible that the wait staff are just too busy now and their main concern is to just get the food on the table. However, overall the food was better than the other cruiselines except for the sad iceberg lettuce salad and same salad dressing every night and the store bought baked goods (croissants, danishes, etc). The breads lacked variety but overall the food tasted good and the beef selection was unmatched. The food was a little too salty in the buffet but again the variety was very good.

 

Having cruised through two hurricanes in the past, I fully agree that on the last sea day, that ship was rocking the entire day! I regret not taking the pills and putting on the wristbands a little earlier before getting sick.

 

I will post a complete review in a few days to compare Carnival with the other cruiselines.

 

We had much better service in 2003 in the dining room, and I guess I thought maybe our waiter was a fluke, but it seems to be the consensus in the Pride dining room, lately anyway.

 

I guess we are lucky that it didn't get to the point that we were too sick to enjoy ourselves. Although we were not up for having any cocktails that day, but it may be due to festivities the night before. :p

 

I'll check it out.

[SkyBlueWater]

Thanks for that excellent review. I"m with a group of 16 that will be on the Pride 6-25. This vacation is sort of like a family reunion. Again, nice post and I'm happy you had the time of your life. Oh, by the way, if you ever go on this Mexican Rivera again try having lunch in PV at a place called "Chico's Paradise." This place is breath-taking. I'm taking my family there.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. That reminds me, we had a delicious meal at Pipi's in downtown PV, it's kind of off the beaten track, and didn't have a view, but the food was delicious, it was very clean, and the service was good. I wanted try something other than the typical Carlos n Charlies/Senor Frogs type place.

[spookwife]

Thanks for the reminder, Curt.. I fully intended on spoiling myself rotten while he's playing.

 

this is the first chance we've had to take a break since he got back from Iraq/the Gulf last December, and frankly we BOTH need to unwind, relax and just veg out.

[Curt Jerome Wild]

Thanks for the reminder, Curt.. I fully intended on spoiling myself rotten while he's playing.

this is the first chance we've had to take a break since he got back from Iraq/the Gulf last December, and frankly we BOTH need to unwind, relax and just veg out.

 

A couple of separate things:

#1 Yes, make sure you spoil yourselves, and take advantage of the spa discounts (they do have a couples massage thingy, that my fiance wanted to do with me, but I'm all weird about people touching me, other than her, it's a guy thing, what can I say).

#2 Please thank your husband on behalf of Cruise Critic for his service, as the vast majority of us here REALLY appreciate!

#3 If you haven't thought of it yet (or maybe you have) it is totally appropriate, and the ladies seem to love it, for him to wear a dress uniform for formal nights (if he has it). Makes for great pictures, and be sure to take advantage of all of the picture opportunities on the formal nights. It's the best cruise souvenier ever.

CJW

[LoveTwoCruise]

Thanks for the great review....:)

[Astronomer]

Thanks for that excellent review. I"m with a group of 16 that will be on the Pride 6-25. This vacation is sort of like a family reunion. Again, nice post and I'm happy you had the time of your life. Oh, by the way, if you ever go on this Mexican Rivera again try having lunch in PV at a place called "Chico's Paradise." This place is breath-taking. I'm taking my family there.

 

Procruizer - Victory bound and I are hoping you will pop into the roll call thread and say hi at some point, we are on the same Curise, me with my wife and Victory with a party of 8

[Greektreats]

Looking forward to the Pride on July 16th, but after the dining room comments on this thread I am really apprehensive! Of course, we will enjoy the cruise, but just got off the Ecstasy last week where the wait staff was great and food was always timely and good, so I hate to think of being disappointed in this area! Anyone know if Carnival (main office) has or should be advised of the dining room situation on the Pride?

[spookwife]

A couple of separate things:

##3 If you haven't thought of it yet (or maybe you have) it is totally appropriate, and the ladies seem to love it, for him to wear a dress uniform for formal nights (if he has it). Makes for great pictures, and be sure to take advantage of all of the picture opportunities on the formal nights. It's the best cruise souvenier ever.

CJW

 

Service Mess Dress.. Both Jackets. He picked up his Whites today, in fact. He was NOT given a choice. Just as I made him wear his Cracker Jacks to our wedding 7.5 years ago. I'm mean that way.. but dangit he is gonna look scrumptious. I may be nice and let him bring the pre tied fake bow tie instead of the real one though. I am not heartless;)

[vaitape]

Absolutely unacceptable that the service was so poor in the Pride's main dining room.....full stop!!! What is up with that? We will have to be pains in the bum if that is still SOP on our sailing in July.

The wind was howling here in SoCal last weekend so it would follow that the ride up the coast was rocky. Sounds like folks should be prepared for preventative measures and those sea bands sure do work if you put them on in time.

[Kridder]

Very diappointing to hear about the service in the DR. DH & I have been on the Pride twice (most recently this past February) and the DR service has been top notch! I seem to remember speaking to our waiter Loreto (on this past cruise) about how much longer he was going to be on the Pride. I believe that he stated that a number of them were leaving the ship in May/June. I'm just wondering if maybe they had a new batch of waiters just trying to adjust to a new ship. Anyway, glad to hear you didn't let it ruin your trip! :)