A few questions for recent Pride Pax

[vaitape]

well, 14 months after booking, we will sail on the Pride on 2 July....YAHOO! We have a few questions for recent passengers:

-Early check-in worth it? What time did you arrive and what time were you able to board?

-the SLIDE question again>>back or still gone?

-which cabs to take in PV....the white or green or ???

-which hotel is it that offers use of their pool and beach in PV?

-major crowds for the tenders into Cabo or easy access?

-is there a movie channel on the cabin TV?

-is there a video port on the cabin TV (for plugging in camera to preview photos or to plug in portable DVD player if no movie channel)?

-David's a thumbs up or stick with the main dining room venue?

We are celebrating all 6 of our birthdays on the cruise. My actual birthday does come during the cruise but everyone gets to pick a day for their "birthday". We'll wait on that birthday person hand and foot on their chosen day.....can't wait for my birthday for a change!!!

Thanks for your help in planning. We appreciate all the valuable and often humorous info in your postings.

[dirtgirl]

We didn't do early check-in - we wondered around the shops across from the Hyatt in the morning, got to the terminal around 1:30, and were on by 2:15. The Titanic exhibit is well worth it at the Queen Mary if you go there. I wouldn't do a self-guided tour on the Queen Mary - if you go get a guided one. We toured on debarcation day.

 

There was no slide when we were there.

 

Never watched TV, so sorry, can't help you there.

 

If you buy the cruise DVD, they only tape up until the deck party Tuesday night. On RCI, they tape up until the Friday.

 

The yellow cabs are the ones you want in PV, although he did try to rip us off and charge us the same as the white cabs.

 

We didn't leave the ship in Cabo until about 11. Around 10 an announcement came on that you no longer needed tender tickets to get on. Up until that time, you had to go to a lounge and get tickets (unless you had a cruise excursion). So, we had no problems.

 

We didn't do David's, but I've heard it is good.

 

My friends went to the Crowne Plaza in PV, but they do charge to use their facilities ($60 for the day!)

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[fishinglady]

We went on the Pride last October. We did the Westin at Nikki Beach in Puerta Vallerta - the pool was beautiful, and you could use their lounging mats by the beach, just not the cabanas; we all ordered drinks and they were very friendly to us. At Cabo, we went to the Melia san Lucas, which we also loved. David's was great, well worth the money.

[phroggie]

-Early check-in worth it? What time did you arrive and what time were you able to board?

 

It depends.

 

The early check-in is just a way for them to get the paper work out of the way before the Dome is cleared of the debarking passengers. For you, it's one line less to stand in after you enter the Dome.

 

So here are your choices:

• get there early and check-in at Queen Mary
  
• don't do the early check-in but, instead, check-in after you've entered the Dome while those who did it proceed past you
  

 

Another concern is where you're coming from. We're local, so the choice was where would we wait while looking every to minutes at our watches: at home or at the port. Given that, it was just simpler to just get there at 9:30 and be first in-line. (See picture of us "raising" the Zone 1 sign below.)

 

(I think they opened the Dome that day at 12:05.)

 

-the SLIDE question again>>back or still gone?

 

As of 06:00 on June 4th it was still gone.

 

-is there a video port on the cabin TV (for plugging in camera to preview photos or to plug in portable DVD player if no movie channel)?

 

No. (Or at least there wasn't any way to patch in to the TV in cabin 5270. I double checked. Other cabins may differ.)

 

-David's a thumbs up or stick with the main dining room venue?

 

Around LA, service similar to the Normandy Dining Room would probably run you at least $30. (I say "similar" since the ship benefits from an economy of scale not possible on land.) So to get the whole shooting match at David's for only $30 seems like a bargain. "Seems" because we're vegetarians and it really didn't appear like it would be worth it to us. For us, the Normandy just grand.

[vaitape]

Thanks for the replies!

We're coming from Santa Barbara so getting there by 9 or so isn't a problem and might be better anyway. Wow, you were first in line??? Not that we need to be first in line.....just that it must have felt neat to be "first".

So one goes to the aft section of the Queen Mary to check in? and the staff there direct you to Zone 1 or ???

Did the Westin charge a day use fee?

[phroggie]

Thanks for the replies!

We're coming from Santa Barbara so getting there by 9 or so isn't a problem and might be better anyway. Wow, you were first in line??? Not that we need to be first in line.....just that it must have felt neat to be "first".

 

We were also first in line for our cruise on Ecstasy. It's a family thing. Sort of like our flat feet and poor eyesight. We're not sure if we felt "neat" or like putzes. Actually some people beat us to the check-in line but I out-ran them to the Zone 1 line.

 

So one goes to the aft section of the Queen Mary to check in?

 

yes! Note that some time after 11:00, they close up and decamp to the Dome.

 

and the staff there direct you to Zone 1 or ???

 

At early check-in they'll give you a Zone 1 card. You can then go stand in the Zone 1 line or wander around until 12-ish.

[LHP]

well, 14 months after booking, we will sail on the Pride on 2 July....YAHOO! We have a few questions for recent passengers:

-Early check-in worth it? What time did you arrive and what time were you able to board?

-the SLIDE question again>>back or still gone?

-which cabs to take in PV....the white or green or ???

-which hotel is it that offers use of their pool and beach in PV?

-major crowds for the tenders into Cabo or easy access?

-is there a movie channel on the cabin TV?

-is there a video port on the cabin TV (for plugging in camera to preview photos or to plug in portable DVD player if no movie channel)?

-David's a thumbs up or stick with the main dining room venue?

We are celebrating all 6 of our birthdays on the cruise. My actual birthday does come during the cruise but everyone gets to pick a day for their "birthday". We'll wait on that birthday person hand and foot on their chosen day.....can't wait for my birthday for a change!!!

Thanks for your help in planning. We appreciate all the valuable and often humorous info in your postings.

 

It has been a few months, but:

 

1. We did the early check in. We are platinum members so it simply put us in the very first group of VIP Check In folks to get on board. The main reason was to feel like our cruise got started that much earlier!! However, remember that you line up outside the dome after early check in. I know it "never rains in California"...but remember that you are "outside" standing in a line...not inside sitting in a chair. The dome did not open for business until after 12 noon (around 12:15pm I think) because they had some late folks getting off.

 

2. The slide was not operational when we were there...not sure when it will be up and running...or sliding as the case may be.

 

3. If you take the cabs lined up immediately when you get off the ship, those are the expensive ones. You have to walk to the corner (about 1/2 block) to catch the cheap ones in PV.

 

4. My youngest son and I walked to a hotel. I am trying to think of the name. We literally got off the ship and went through a single gate that lead down a paved road. It was several blocks to walk to, but you can literally see the ship at the end of the street the whole time...so you can't get lost.

He played on the beach and I had a drink...but he did not like the sand. (It was to corse). We went back to the ship for some pool time for him. My oldest son and hubby did the Los Des Vernos Canopy Tour and it was great. About $80.00 a person booked online counting the taxi to get them to the LDV office and back.

 

5. Tendering at Cabo was not a problem for us because we are Platinum. We just head down whenever we wanted to and got in line. No tickets.

 

6. There is a couple of movies that play on the tv in the cabin, but we really did not pay much attention to them. I don't know about the video port. They are standard tvs though, so I would imagine they have everything that a tv would have.

 

7. David's. We did not partake...but the folks who did loved it. But do remember that it is an "experience" so it lasts about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

 

Have a great time.

[vaitape]

Thanks everyone. Guess if there is no word regarding the slide, it might/must mean that it's not been replaced as yet. Never mind, am sure there will be plenty to occupy the grandkids (and grown up kids as well!)

[sd1029]

Just got back from the Pride a few weeks ago and we had a blast.

 

-We did not do early check in, we got there around 12:30 and we were on the boat within 45-60 minutes.

-no slide

-did not take a cab in PV

-in PV we took the Carnival tour Paradise Beach Adventure. We went to the Paradise Village Resort and Spa. We had use of their facilities, pool and beach and got 2 free drinks. The pool had a waterslide and there were lots of activities going on. The beach was very nice too.

-in Cabo there was not a big wait to get on the tenders. However some people lined up along the cabins on the right side (if you were facing the stairs) and I think they waited. We walked down the left side and just merged in the the crowd and had no wait.There was no wait getting back to the boat either.

-There was some kind of movie channel like HBO or Showtime I think. I think they were playing older movies. I think they had PPV where you could pay to watch a newer movie.

-We had 2 cabins in our group and one TV had front jacks for our DVD player. The other cabin did not. We asked nicely for a new TV and one of the video crew came and brought us a new tv with the video jacks within a few hours. We had to ask very, very nicely and explain we were repeat customers to get them to swap out the tv. At first the front desk said they could not change the tv.

- We did not eat at Davids.

-Each night in the dining room at least 6 different tables had a birthday cake and singing celebration. I would be suprised if that many people actually had their birthday on that specific day, but they paid for their cake and Carnival did not seem to mind to sing to each group.

[pppiglet]

We did the early check-in and liked it.

 

We walked to the Krystal Hotel in PV. Right on the beach. No charge.

 

We ate at David's and really enjoyed it.

 

No problem with the tender to Cabo.

[vaitape]

Like the sound of the Krystal! Thanks for the clue regarding the tvs. You are all so helpful. Will post a report when we return......... The anticipation is part of the fun.........hope drafting and posting the report will help with the post cruise let-down!

[Curt Jerome Wild]

Krystal hotel with pool, and in the background you can see shade umbrella things that they have on the beach.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/145096224/1145098240032738718zjrtsa

Walking distance and free.

[vaitape]

Jerome: Thanks very much for the photo! We were planning on taking a cab to see the Dolphin Fountain (PV is our sister city) and having a beer at the Hard Rock and then flopping around a pool/beach for the rest of the day..........The Krystal looks perfect for this and the price is right....thanks mucho!

Still no slide, eh?

Thanks everyone for taking the time to post replies. Very helpful and much appreciated.

[spookwife]

-Early check-in worth it? What time did you arrive and what time were you able to board?

checking in early on the Mary..totally worth it. Might want to take the tours or go hang out in Shorline Village until after 1 pm though. we stood in line from aprox. 1130 til after 1 pm.. once the line started moving, it went rather quickly.

-the SLIDE question again>>back or still gone? Not as of the 18th's sailing

-which cabs to take in PV....the white or green or ??? We took Yellow ones.. walked out past the cruise terminal to a hotel before deciding it was too bloody hot(plus the construction) to walk the whole way. $6 out to downtown, $8 back.

-which hotel is it that offers use of their pool and beach in PV? dunno the name of it, but as you walk out of the terminal, it's fairly easy to spot..BIG huge sign that says welcome Cruisers

-major crowds for the tenders into Cabo or easy access? didn't leave the ship, but we were on the side the renders were hooking up to. they started off with ten tenders..all lying in wait to sidle up against the ship. two at a time, each tender held maybe 75-90 people we guesttimated. ran every ten minutes or so back and forth.

-is there a movie channel on the cabin TV? there were PPV movies plus three or four channels that basically showed the same movie constantly.. I could probably quote "The Family Stone" to you now:p . Sci Fi Plus USA or TNT or something too as well as CNN, CNNI and CNNSpanish

-is there a video port on the cabin TV (for plugging in camera to preview photos or to plug in portable DVD player if no movie channel)? never noticed or checked

-David's a thumbs up or stick with the main dining room venue? oh goodness yes! excellent food, terrific service and killer view(we had dolphin sightings!)

 

Hope this helps!

[vaitape]

Spookwife, YES! Your info helps alot, especially the taxi fare quote and the endorsement about early check-in. What time did you do early check-in.....around 10 or so?

[spookwife]

It opened at 0900. we actually got there around 830 and had to wait for the porters to open up their area in the parking garage to pawn off our luggage..he also helped us get our three pack of wine stuffed inside so we wouldn'thave to carry it around all day, and boy are we glad he did! Mr Spook ran off to take pics of the Mary and the Russian Sub, so we actually ended up being third or fourth to check in. Doing the self guided tour takes about 2 hours and 98% of the shops were NOT open considering it was early on a Sunday Morning, so it's probably best to sign in, then take off somewhere for a nice leisurely Brunch.

[Lurkyloo]

Here was our experience with early check in:

 

We got there at 9:30 and looked for baggage porters to give our bags to - we were told that they wouldn't be available to take our bags for at least another hour or so, so we lugged the bags back to the car and then went to the check in! Piece of cake - took about 10 minutes!

 

We then proceeded to the other side of the Queen Mary to have their wonderful champagne brunch which was lovely! Then, at about 11:00 we headed to the car to get our luggage, handed it off to the porters, and then got into the zone 1 line. A couple behind us in line arrived and were behind us for 20 minutes before they found out that they were in the wrong line - they hadn't checked in yet!

 

The lines started moving and after a while we got into the dome where we were put in other lines. Great! Then I turn around and saw the couple that had been behind us and they are only about 20 people (if that!) behind us now! If they hadn't wasted 20 minutes in the wrong line, they would have been ahead of us in line because the early check in line was so long! Once people completed check in, they were sent right into the dome rather than to back of the line of people who had done early check in!

 

If I had it to do again, we would arrive at 11:30ish and get into the right line and beat many of the people who did early check in and had been waiting in line since 11:00! Just my $.02! ;)

 

Other than that, we had a glorious cruise!!! Enjoy your cruise - you will love the Pride!

[Liner]

**More Questions** How is the temperature inside the ship..especially the restaurants? I tend to be on the cold side and wanted to know if I should bring a sweater or wrap. Also....will we make a 12:30 pm flight home from LAX? When I booked the flight, I assumed :rolleyes: we would be back around 7 am...now I see it's 9 am!

 

Thanks!

[Lurkyloo]

**More Questions** How is the temperature inside the ship..especially the restaurants? I tend to be on the cold side and wanted to know if I should bring a sweater or wrap. Also....will we make a 12:30 pm flight home from LAX? When I booked the flight, I assumed :rolleyes: we would be back around 7 am...now I see it's 9 am!

 

Thanks!

 

You should be fine - if all things go well! We were off the boat and home (a one and a half hour drive away!) by 10:30! Be sure to show them your plane tickets the night before and get the special tags for those with flights - you will be first off the ship!

 

And bring that sweater or wrap! I was pretty comfortable on the ship, but it can be coolish while watching shows and the decks can be chilly first day out and last day back!

[spookwife]

I took my sweater everywhere, and most times I used it. Gets rather windy on deck at times.

 

We were Panorama deck(first called after the warly flight people), and were off by 10:30 without doing early disembarkation( they were all off by I'd say 930)