Which itinerary - Spirit or Pride?

[hcheese]

Hi all,

 

I am about ready to book a Mexican Rivera cruise for late November / early December. We have a two year old so we are looking at Carnival. I'm torn between the itineraries on the Pride and the Spirit. Looks like there's good and bad to both. Has anyone done both? If so, which did you like better and why? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

Thanks!

hcheese

[dclark]

Spirit leaves from San Diego, Pride from Long Beach. I wonder, theorize, etc, if the first and last sea days on the Spirit would be more pleasant than on the pride as it starts closer to Mexico.

The Pride is what, 110 miles further away? So, it will spend an extra 5-6 hours in the cold water off shore before hitting Cabo.

Just my speculation.

[melika091900]

it would be hard to pick..

 

weve been to all the ports on both ships,,

i would prefer the pride,, only because acapulco isnt all that, and neither is manzanillo. thats just our preference though,, some people love them both,, ixtapa is our favorite port..

and sailing out of san diego is nice, its a beautiful city

 

are there any other factors ? like are you driving to the pier ?

or flying in ?

 

as far as the pride itenerary we are booked on the pride, since it goes to the best ports in mexico that we have liked so far, cabo , puerto vallarta and mazatlan..

 

its kinda a toss up, ever thought about NCL star? they go to all the ports from both ships except manzanillo...????

its a kid friendly ship for sure, they have waterslides our daughter loved !! and the freestyle concept might be easier with a 2 year old...

[gumballz]

I haven't been on both.......but have had both booked. We were originally booked on the Spirit but ended up having to change to the Pride. We, personally, found that there were more options when it came to excursions that we would like on the Pride out of Long Beach. That doesn't mean you'd find more.....but you might want to at least take a look at what's offered in each port (both independently and through Carnival) to get an idea of what you might be interested in doing.

 

Also, something that may or may not affect you....the Spirit is an 8 night cruise, therefore it sails out on different days of the week. The Pride sails out every Sunday and returns 7 days later, on Sunday. We were going to leave on a Wednesday and return on the following Thursday. You might end up needing an extra couple of days of vacation days.

 

My guess is that whichever route you choose, you're going to love it! :D

[hcheese]

Thanks everyone. These are definitely good things to consider.

 

We're driving from vegas so the departure port really doesn't matter much to me. SD is a few minutes further, but not a big deal. I can get to LA and SD fairly easy anytime so I don't plan on spending any extra time there.

 

I hadn't really considered NCL, but that's not a bad idea. I like the itinerary a lot. I thought that NCL started their kids club at 3, not 2. I got a bit of info off their site and I see that they just don't change diapers. I've posted a thread on the family board to see if anyone has had experience with both the kid's clubs on Carnival and NCL and which they preferred.

 

I'll keep doing my research and will hopefully make a decision soon!!

 

Thanks again:o

[melika091900]

Thanks everyone. These are definitely good things to consider.

 

We're driving from vegas so the departure port really doesn't matter much to me. SD is a few minutes further, but not a big deal. I can get to LA and SD fairly easy anytime so I don't plan on spending any extra time there.

 

I hadn't really considered NCL, but that's not a bad idea. I like the itinerary a lot. I thought that NCL started their kids club at 3, not 2. I got a bit of info off their site and I see that they just don't change diapers. I've posted a thread on the family board to see if anyone has had experience with both the kid's clubs on Carnival and NCL and which they preferred.

 

I'll keep doing my research and will hopefully make a decision soon!!

 

Thanks again:o

 

 

I know its hard to pick..... good luck deciding ..

you can see our pics on NCL star in my signature on my webshots link

mexico cruise 11/2006

[SDPadreFan]

Regardless of which cruise you take, it is going to be fairly cool/cold outside until you get to southern Baja. That means your first and last day at sea. That said, once you have done one, you can pick the other one the next time. Jan-April is probably the best time to visit the southern Mexican Riviera (Acapulco, etc.). I have never been on Pride but have been to Cabo many times (own a timeshare there) and spent a week in Puerto Vallarta. I have been on Spirit down to Acapulco in Feb 2006. One thing that may sway your decision is the fact that whale watching will be in full swing in both Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. Not sure how much this will involve your 2 year old because the camps will probably keep them pretty busy. Carnival has a supurb reputation for it's kid's program. I have no direct knowledge of NCL's but it certainly isn't talked about like Carnival's is. NCL also seem's to have more of a love/hate relationship with it's passengers. People either seem to really love NCL or really hate them. I have never been on NCL but I don't think it the cruise line for me based upon what I've read. I have been on both Celebrity and Carnival and enjoyed them both. Carnival Corp., parent company of Carnival Cruises also owns Princess, Holland America, Costa, Cunard, The Yachts of Seabourn and P & O so they must be doing something right. They are the largest in the world. As you get more into cruising (and you probably will), you will have the chance to learn about other cruise lines and perhaps find your favorite. It may be Carnival, or it may be RCCL or others. Carnival and RCCL tend to have the best reputations as being family oriented.

[PACURN]

Go on the Spirit and come and spend a little time here in San Deigo. Much nicer than Long Beach. I'm a little partial I guess but so what.

[CurlyQgrL]

Hi,

 

I agree San Diego is gorgous...of course I'm definitely partial.....great place to leave out of...beautiful downtown, clean, gaslamp area is fun to roam around in and I've always felt safe here....there are many nice hotels near the port...would be fun to depart out of... Sunday Brunch at the Hotel Del Coronado is expensive but amazing! I like Tom's Lighthouse on the water as well...Dick's Last Resort is a bit more raucous. Tons of sidewalk cafes, you can sit outside, enjoy the beautiful San Diego weather, people watch, tons of clubs, bars, restaurants, shops...beautiful Horton Plaza which has been called the "Disneyland of Shopping" also in the gaslamp downtown area.

 

I live here and I'm driving up to Long Beach to take The Pride...go figure! LOL! But daughter wants to go to Cabo...so off we go. We went up to Long Beach and spent the night on the Queen Mary last month....saw Pride in port, sailing off to sea...love the QM but we wanted to sail away as well. Long Beach is a nice port, (wouldn't spend anytime in some parts of LB) but the port area was beautiful.

 

We had a blast on the QM, booked an internet special which included a tour of the QM, a tour of a WW II Russian sub (geesh is it tiny inside), did the Ghost & Legends tour, and the WW II tour...(my favorite). All included with the price of staying over in one of the cabins for the night... the QM doesn't actually go anywhere (not for a LONG time) but a nice way to kick off a trip if you want to arrive a day early, good value with the tours included. And it is seriously right next door to the Pride dock so extremely conveinent.

 

We had a nice dinner at the Chelsea on the QM...beautiful view of the harbor. Across the bridge is a whole other waterfront area with tons of restaurants that we didn't have time to check out..

 

Just went up again for the QM Sunday brunch.....from there we took the Catalina Express over to Catalina Island...only an hour away, great additional before/after for anyone wanting to add on a day or two....I love Catalina....

 

so either way, they are both nice ports, clean, beautiful, things to do....can't wait to go up again and this time actually get on The Pride! Tired of watching her leave without us! One of these days will actually take a cruise out of San Diego.....

 

So port wise if you come in a day (or two) early, both would be fun to stay over ...

 

stacey :)

[cantw82cruise]

Hcheese, I have been on both cruises and loved them both. I probably like the ports on the Pride better. We did whale watching in PV and that was unbelievable. Snorkeled in Cabo it was cold but nice. We had a private tour in Acapulco that was a lot of fun, and found the other ports relaxing. The ships are basically the same. We are going on the Spirit again next April on a 7 day that had a little different itinerary.

 

I guess I would say if you like to be active and do stuff take the Pride. If you like to relax, shop and walk take the Spirit.

 

Have a great time on which ever one you choose,

[Roadpossum]

We've sailed both ships on both itineraries as well. Personally we prefer the Pride for the following reasons -

 

Embarcation/Debarcation - Spirit -While San Diego is a beautiful city, and I love sailing out through the bay, getting on and off the pier is a ridiculous. Traffic on the pier makes a U-turn between both berths. On days when there are two ships in port you have passengers getting off each ship as well as passengers arriving for the next cruises. That means lots of cabs, shuttles and busses in addition to the large trucks bringing supplies to the ships for the next cruise. Everybody shares the same U-turn road on the pier. What a zoo...!!! Traffic is backed up on Harbor Dr. for almost a mile and the cabs and shuttles can't get through to make a 2nd and 3rd trip. Once they left the pier none of them came back for the next load of pax. Sorry San Diegans, but it's terrible. For the Pride, there is only one ship at a time and the trucks don't have to share the road with pax (less traffic), you can arrive early and "pre-board" on the Queen Mary and take a tour onboard the Queen. Very relaxing and a fun way to start the week. Score one for the Pride.

 

Ships - Almost identical (other than decor). Both great...!!! A draw

 

Length of cruise - Spirit is 8 days / Pride is only 7. Duh. Anytime I'm at sea I'm happy, so the nod goes to the Spirit on this one...

 

Ports of Call - Pride does PV, Maz, and Cabo (all great IMO). Spirit does Aca (a BIG city with little character IMO), Manz (a container port - book a tour), Ixtapa/Zihua (best of both worlds - loved it). Score a big one for the Pride.

 

Of the two, I'd have to go with the Pride (and will again...!!!).

[easy22]

We Have Been On Ncl Twice, Carnival Twice And Princess Twice. We Loved Ncl Because Of The Open Seating Policy For Dining. We Also Loved Getting An 8 Day Cruise For The Same Price As A 7 Day On The Other Ships.

[Jsme]

I had to consider this myself a few months back. I was getting together a group cruise and those were our choices. I picked the Pride for the ports. The ports are what swayed me. :D

[shawilson]

Good question. I haven't been on both, but haved sailed Pride and Golden Princess to the Mex Riv. On Golden we went to ACA, Zihua, Cabo and PV (we sailed out of San Francisco, which was totally awesome). Never want to go to ACA again, Zihua is my favorite. We are on the Pride again in March and Splendor in April 09, same itin. Our last time on the Pride, it looked like all the kids were having a blast, but they weren't as young as your child. Good luck on your decision, I know you will have a great time.