Back from Pride 10/17-24 AWESOME!!!

[garyhartaz]

First off we want to thank everyone here that gave advice and helped us plan for our first cruise, it really helped.

 

We arrived the day before the cruise and stayed at the Renaissance, pricey but our style, and that night had dinner at the King Crab Lounge - a must try!

 

The day of the cruise we arrived at the Queen Mary for early check-in at 9:15am. A porter took our bags when we got out of the taxi and we tipped him $1 per bag which he appeared grateful we did.

 

At check-in there were maybe 5 couples ahead of us and 4 couples checking in. We went through the line in 7-10 minutes. From there we went out to the dome and no one was standing against the left wall as the recommended. Most of the early check-in people sat around the small cement planters/walls and watched the people come off the ship. Around 11:00am the early check in line official started. We were 11th in line! By 11:45am the line stretched back to the bathrooms (about 150-200 people!). Be prepared for chaos as there is little to no information from any Carnival workers, just stand in that line or if you are one of the first start the line in front of the trash bin against the left wall. Around the same time or close to noon a Carnival worker made an announcement about how to line up. The line to the very right is for people who haven't checked in; the line in the center is for disabled folks and the Skippers Club/VIP stand in front of the early check in. The other group is the wedding group but they get taken in when the ship is cleared to board.

 

We were given the go ahead to board at 12:35p. We went in, went through the X-Ray/Metal Detector and then had our first cheesy picture taken. From there you get your picture taken that goes with your Sign and Sail card and then it is to the ship you go. You will enter on Deck 3 near the photo kiosk area. We went immediately to our room and it was ready.

 

Room: 7170 Cat:8G which we paid for and selected from the start. The extended balcony is a must! Our dinning table companions had a standard balcony and it wasn't bad but after having the bigger balcony....

 

Pic 1: http://www.garyhart.com/cruise/balcview.jpg

 

Pic 2: http://www.garyhart.com/cruise/frontview.jpg

 

The room has a hair dryer, soap, shampoo, towels and a small amenities basket of lotions, dental floss sticks, Lever 2000 soap bars. The bed was comfortable and we had 4 good size pillow. There was a couch and adjustable height table. The TV had ABC,CBS,NBC,FOX but when the baseball games came on, you lost those channels and they had TLC, Discovery and National Geographic. You can still watch the games but you have to go down to the sports bar...long story. The balcony has 2 chairs and a small table.

 

Many of you suggest a bungee cord but you will find a garment bar in your closet that is removable and it works better to prop the door wide open.

Pic 3: http://www.garyhart.com/cruise/door.jpg

 

We had the door opened the first two days but when you get to PV through Mazatlan the humidity is over 70% and we didn't have the door open at all!

 

Explore the ship: Getting early boarding allowed us to get to our room and check it out but the real benefits came when we booked our Spa treatments and made reservations at David's Supper Club. I would recommend either Tuesday night or Saturday night for David's since your two formal nights in the general dinning are Monday and Friday. After we made our reservations we explored the Lido and Sun decks then made our way down to decks 2 & 3 where you find the lounges, casino, etc. After we got familiar with the ship it was back to Lido for lunch and drinks followed by a trip back to the room. Since we booked shore excursions outside of the ships programs we didn't have to worry about that setup but I would recommend you do it then.

 

Bummer: We had ordered a Romance Package for embarkation however we did not receive it until 11pm. We really had hoped for drinks as we set sail from our balcony. We also had packed spirits in our bags but they did not show up until 6:30pm. Your Steward has to unlock your mini-bar but they are busy right up until 6:00pm trying to get bags delivered so we had to go to Lido for drinks.

 

Dining: We opted for the late dinner and we had table 114 lower. We had a great round table with two fun table mates. Our servers Sum and Otto were excellent!! Meals here are generally good and you can order as many items and times as you like! Once night I had prime rib and lobster tail.

 

Lido buffet is what you can expect in most Vegas hotels. The pizza was great for those nights we danced away in Butterflies or did karaoke in Starry Night.

 

Drinks: If you have kids, a soda card is a must or you will go broke! We don't have kids but we bought the cards which ended up being a waste for us. We only used the cards to get diet sprite to mix with the spirits in our room which usually was 2-4 per day. On the Lido deck we generally purchased our alcoholic drinks while we lounged or watched the talent. Get ready for the shock of your life when you check your folio mid-week! By Wednesday we had already spent $500. $228 of that was from our dinner at David's but the rest was all drinks. By the end of the cruise we had spent almost $900 in drinks. Don't get the impression we are drunks but at $13 for a bucket of 4 miller light beers usually two of them while laying out in the sun and then evening cocktails during the shows, it adds up quick! Be warned!!!

 

Entertainment: We were so lucky to have Greg as our cruise director. Between the produced shows and the other entertainment his staff puts on, there is never a dull moment for young and old alike! You will laugh and cheer most of the cruise. Make sure and attend Greg's bedtime story!!!!

 

Ports: In PV it is a breeze to come and go from the ship. Be AWARE that there are two (2) time zones in the PV area!!! In Mazatlan it is fairly easy to come and go however you have to get on a Disney-like tram to go from the ship to the terminal. Cabo is a nightmare!!! Since it is a "tender" port meaning the ship anchors in the harbor, you have to take a tender boat to the docks. Each boat holds between 25-30 people. They will take the ship tour people off the boat first then the tender ticket holders. To get a tender ticket just go to the Starry Night lounge that morning. At a certain point they call everyone. We got off the ship at 10:15am and went to Cabo Wabo and then to The Office for lunch. That is all the time we had and just made the last boat around 3:30p back to the ship.

 

Going home: BE PATIENT! To get off the ship in Long Beach they take the tours and early flight people first. Then the start calling each color level as the luggage is placed in the terminal. We happened to be the second to last group called. Kill this time on the Lido deck and bring a deck of cards or something to keep you occupied. We got off the boat at 11:05am and by 12:15pm we were on a bus going to LAX. BE PATIENT!

 

Overall: Coming back to reality just plain sucks! You will notice a low-level depression on just about everyone’s face Saturday night. As far as the cruise went, I would recommend this to anyone. The experience was far beyond our expectations and we do a lot of international travel. We generally are first class traveling folks and I can honestly say that the Carnival Pride is a fine ship and ever Carnival staff member is there to make your vacation a priority! I wish they would just yank Cabo from the schedule and make either PV or Mazatlan an overnight affair. As far as shore excursions go, book your own! When people asked what we did, they were envious. Check out some camera phone pictures I sent back in real-time from each excursion here: http://www.mobog.com/thegman

 

We are hooked on cruising and are planning our next one right now to Alaska. If anyone has any specific questions, please feel free to email me and I will make it a point to answer each and every one. I have video that will be on the Internet this weekend and I'll come back and post the links.

 

Again, we thank everyone here who gave us advice and comfort in planning our first cruise.

 

Cheers,

Gary & Adrienne

http://www.garyhart.com

[AZCAMM]

hi garyhartz,

I loved your review. We are going on the March 13th cruise and cannot wait. I noticed in your pix the room deco's. I assume you ordered on line. does the staff

put them up so when you come into your room first time that's what you see (or) do

you do it yourself? Just wanted to know because I want to order something for my son and his fiancee. thanks

[garyhartaz]

hi garyhartz,

I loved your review. We are going on the March 13th cruise and cannot wait. I noticed in your pix the room deco's. I assume you ordered on line. does the staff

put them up so when you come into your room first time that's what you see (or) do

you do it yourself? Just wanted to know because I want to order something for my son and his fiancee. thanks

The crew has the decorations up in your room when you arrive. I would suggest that you order the decoration package about a month ahead of time. Like I posted, our only disappointment was that our Romance Package wasn't there at sailing because that had the champagne and glasses along with other goodies.

 

Wait to you see the other pictures and video and I bet you will wish you were leaving tomorrow!

 

Cheers,

Gary

[qualtek]

Hi Gary

 

Your comments have got me pretty excited. Glad you had a nice cruise. I leave on the Pride in 18 days. Yee Haw - LOL

 

I have a few obscure questions

 

Do you remember if there was live entertainment in the casino? There was when I was on the Pride 2 years ago but not on her Sister ship - the Spirit, when I sailed last year.

 

Do you remember seeing the 25 cent Wheel of fortune slot machines?

 

When you said that you didn't get off the ship until after 10 in Cabos, was that the earliest you could get off with out a booked shore excursion?

 

Thanks from me and my group of 25

 

Linda

[garyhartaz]

Hi Gary

 

Your comments have got me pretty excited. Glad you had a nice cruise. I leave on the Pride in 18 days. Yee Haw - LOL

 

I have a few obscure questions

 

Do you remember if there was live entertainment in the casino? There was when I was on the Pride 2 years ago but not on her Sister ship - the Spirit, when I sailed last year.

 

Do you remember seeing the 25 cent Wheel of fortune slot machines?

 

When you said that you didn't get off the ship until after 10 in Cabos, was that the earliest you could get off with out a booked shore excursion?

 

Thanks from me and my group of 25

 

Linda

Yes there was a guy playing guitar at the bar in the casino. There was only dollar Wheel of Fortune but plenty of quarter flip-it :rolleyes:

 

You could go down and stand in the tender ticket line starting at 8:30am in the Starry Night Lounge. Once they got the tour people off, the called tender ticket group 1 and so on. If I remember right, I heard the first ticket annoucement about 9:20-9:30 and by 10:00 they called everyone.

 

Cheers,

Gary

 

P.S. Pack us in a your luggage - we've got post cruise blues :o

[garyhartaz]

I just got the video of the cruise completed and it should be online in the morning in QuickTime and Windows Media Format.

 

By Wednesday I should have the pictures up as well.

[mohavemommy]

Could you post a link to the video? Thanks! I miss the Pride too!

[kajsb]

I'm looking forward to the link to the video and your pictures. I have such fond memories of the Pride. :)

[mohavemommy]

I just got the video of the cruise completed and it should be online in the morning in QuickTime and Windows Media Format.

 

By Wednesday I should have the pictures up as well.

Could you please post the link to the video? :)

[wwakla]

Great review. I'm blue missing the Pride. :(

That was our first and definitely won't be our last.

Can't wait for the video.

 

Loved your pictures and the comments from those who looked :eek: :D

[purple32759]

Hi GARYHART!!

 

GREAT REVIEW!! We are planning om Sailing on the PRIDE in June,2005. I sailed on the PRIDE when it went out of Port Canaveral, FL. I had Dinner at DAVID'S SUPPER CLUB and I Do Not Remember DAVID'S Costing So MUCH MONEY!!! What DId You Order?? Were You Drinking a Special Liquor?? (Just Curious--I wanted my Husband to try DAVID'S SUPPER CLUB--but I'm AFRAID at that Price he will Not GO!!)

 

CHEERS!

JULIE TUCKER

[wwakla]

Hi GARYHART!!

 

GREAT REVIEW!! We are planning om Sailing on the PRIDE in June,2005. I sailed on the PRIDE when it went out of Port Canaveral, FL. I had Dinner at DAVID'S SUPPER CLUB and I Do Not Remember DAVID'S Costing So MUCH MONEY!!! What DId You Order?? Were You Drinking a Special Liquor?? (Just Curious--I wanted my Husband to try DAVID'S SUPPER CLUB--but I'm AFRAID at that Price he will Not GO!!)

 

CHEERS!

JULIE TUCKER

 

It is $25 per person to eat there. Additional tip for the excellant service you will receive and then a charge for drinks (same as in the main dining room-drinks that is).

[garyhartaz]

Hi GARYHART!!

 

GREAT REVIEW!! We are planning om Sailing on the PRIDE in June,2005. I sailed on the PRIDE when it went out of Port Canaveral, FL. I had Dinner at DAVID'S SUPPER CLUB and I Do Not Remember DAVID'S Costing So MUCH MONEY!!! What DId You Order?? Were You Drinking a Special Liquor?? (Just Curious--I wanted my Husband to try DAVID'S SUPPER CLUB--but I'm AFRAID at that Price he will Not GO!!)

 

CHEERS!

JULIE TUCKER

The cost of dinner with gratuity came to $60.00. Then we had two bottles of wine. Our first bottle was about $48 (a Merlot) and the other (a more expensive French wine) took us over the top.

[ciship]

Hey, what's the ETA of that link to your pictures and video???

 

Can't wait to see it.

[garyhartaz]

Hey, what's the ETA of that link to your pictures and video???

 

Can't wait to see it.

I finally got the video I shot of our 10-17 cruise on the Pride completed!

 

I warn you now, YOU MUST HAVE A DSL, CABLE or BETTER to watch or download the video as it is 190MB in Size!!!!

 

You also must have QuickTime installed on your computer to watch within the browser or after you have downloaded it.

 

Here is the link: http://community.edirectglass.com/cruise.htm

 

If you have any problems watching, email or post here. The video is 1h:20m and covers embarkation to a ship tour to ports and so on. If you are looking to get an idea about the Pride and/or the ports in Mexico, this video is for you!

 

Cheers,

Gary & Adrienne

www.garyhart.com

[mohavemommy]

this is an absolute must watch..... great job!!

[ciship]

Bummer!! I can't get it to play. I have HighSpeed Internet/Cable. Can you email me it instead and I will try it that way?

 

Thanks much,

Ciship@aol.com

[GoinCruisin]

Email a 190MB file? HIGHLY unlikely :p Do you have Quicktime installed? That may be the problem... you have to have it installed. Also, if you have a firewall, that may cause a problem... I had no problem viewing the video using a cable modem... good luck!

[ciship]

I do have QuickTime installed, but I also have a firewall which I don't want to get rid of......bummer again!!!!!!!

[GoinCruisin]

Are you getting an error message? What happens when you click on the link? Does it ever start buffering... or do you get a big x? What happens... maybe we can help. Although it could be your firewall.. depending on what your settings are...

[ciship]

Yippee!!! I got it, I got it........I don't know what I did, but it finally came through for me. I only watched the first part for now, but I can watch the rest tomorrow.

 

Thanks for hanging in there with me and offering to help!!

[GoinCruisin]

Yeah!!!! That is great! It's a long video, and it really doesn't help the PCD!!!!! But it sure gets you excited for the next one!!! I'm glad you got it to work!!

[mohavemommy]

Yippee!!! I got it, I got it........I don't know what I did, but it finally came through for me. I only watched the first part for now, but I can watch the rest tomorrow.

 

Thanks for hanging in there with me and offering to help!!

When it first came up, I pressed the stop button on the quicktime player and it took about 15 minutes for the whole clip to load, I watched it then.