Pride Review July 31st - Aug 7th

[jamscckmc]

First time on Carnival. We had a great time. Only a few minor complaints. There were four of us. DH and I early 50's and DD and her friend, both 18. I have been on Princess 4 times, RC twice, HAL, NCL, Celebrity and Disney each once. DH and DD all the above except only 2 princess and no HAL. It was DD's friend's first time cruising. She was beyond excited.

We live in NO. VA and only had an hour drve. Coming from the south on 95 the port was the last exit before the tunnel.We arrived at 12:30. We pulled in, we payed by visa(they have hand held cc machines. They have a surface parking lot, no garage and all parking is a short walk to the terminal. We dropped our luggage(they take it right out of your car, so make sure they don't get your carry ons) We gave him a $10 tip and parked the car. As we walked towards the teminal we saw people leaving the cruise and all said they had a wonderful time. This helped set the tone for our whole experience. DH and DD were vip, DD's friend and I were not. I had to book one adult in each room because the girls were under 21. Because we are all on one CC we all went in the vip line. The regular line was already pretty long. The vip line went right in. We were checked in and went to sit in the vip section by 12:50. At this point non vip were up to zone 16. If you were hoping to get a cabana you better get there really and be in zone one. There were staff in the terminal withCarnival whale tail hats throwing beach balls around which added to the fun atmosphere. There was a wedding party there that got on 1st at 1pm. They were told they would get on at 12 and thats when their wedding was scheduled. Most of their quests were not sailing and were leaving before sailaway. (I didn't know this was allowed) I thought handicapped would be next, they were at the very front of the terminal, but vip was next after the wedding party, at about 1:15. We skipped the pictures and I ran ahead to get in the shore excursion line. You enter on deck 2, which is where excursions is. I was second in line and at first there was only one staff. The woman in front of me was doing all her excursions, I just wanted a cabana. After 10 minutes, someone looked out the curtain and saw the long line forming and came out. But because the women in front of me said she also wanted a cabana they made me wait until she chose hers. In the end I think she desides against it and I reserved # 11. We then get in line at the pursers desk and were able to switch cabins no questions asked. We took our carry ones up to the lido, which still wasn't too crowded. It was very confusing and everything was really spread out. I grabbed and stayed at a table with our carryons while they got food. This is a good idea because you all go in different directions and then your food gets cold while you are walking in circles looking for the rest of your party. The girls went off to explore while we went up to check our table. we were glad to see we were in a booth for 4 one table away from the window. (More on this later) We wandered around until about 3:15 and then went to deck 7 to see if the doors were open, they were and we went to check out our room. We were in 7298, a cat 11 aft wrap. the girls were in 7264 a portside balcony 10 doors down. The cat 11 was as otheres have said separed into three areas by doors. The living area with a couch, chair desk area with 2 chairs, a minibar. there are two doors, one to the dressing area and bathroom and one along the balcony to the bedroom. There are two TV's one in the BR and one in the LR, neither were flat screens. There was two(I think) long narrow windows in the LR, Three in the bedroom, one one the portside wrap area. The balcony doors were in the middle off the hallway . I thought this was weird that you could only look out the big windows of the balcony door fron this passthrough area. If you like a view from the toilet, you can leave the BR door open and have a great view!;) The closet was a small walk in with plenty of hangers and shelves. The shelves came in handy since there was only one four drawer cest and the bottom drawer got stuck on the third drawer and didn't work well. There were TINY bed side tables on either side of the bed but they were too small to put anything in. There was little room on either side of the bed and if you get up at night to use the bathroom take the side closest to it. There is an opstical course getting out of the far side of the bed. I had heard great things about the Carnival beds but we must have had the original beds and I doubt the mattress had been turned. You could see the sagging of the mattress where your butt goes through the bedding. If I was smart I would have called right away for an eggcrate. I thought I would see our steward shortly but she was not in the hallway and she didn't come by until 4:45 right before the muster. She said all the eggcrates were gone so I knew even though I would have a good time my bad back probably would not. My daughters bed was fine and so were others I talked too so I guess our beds weren't replaced. Our suitcases were there by 4 and we unpacked before the muster. Wear your sunglasses and hat to the muster, on the portside anyway we were in full sun and was hot. Get there early if you can, there was one row along the ship that was in shade. This should only be a problem in the summer. The muster lasted about 15min. We went back to our room to drop off our life jackets and went up to the aft bar for sailaway. We were scheduled to leave at 5:30 but the crew said they have never left before 6. We left at 6:15. We had no formal M$G set up but we had discussed meeting at the aft pool bar for sailaway. We went there and I had my 1st ever DOD. It was GOOD!. I didn't run into any CC people but they may have been out there. Appox 45min after sailaway we went under the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Have your cameras ready, It does look like you can't fit under the bridge! We went back to our room and were waiting to go under the Bay Bridge to go to dinner. About two hours from sailaway we went under the bridge. Being aft we didn't see the bridge coming. I was in the bathroom and my DH yelled we are going under the bridge. I put myself together as quick asI could, but we were passed the bridge. The bay makes a really pretty sail away. I don't know when we got into the Atlantic. We grabbed the girls and went down to the Deck 2 MDR. I quess because of the late sailaway, bridges, and late lunch everyone had the same idea. It was anytime dining for everyone and the line was really long. I was worried that all the tables were full and we would have a long wait but the line moved quickly. There was a LARGE nude painting outside the MDR that the kids had a giggle over. Dinner service was slow and not very friendly but they were very busy. It was more like breakfast and lunch service. we sat with a very nice couple from Isreal, ist time to the states and were seeing the country. DH had tilapia and we three had the flat iron steak . I was pleased with all the beef selections on board, most were tender and tasty. Don't miss the short ribs. They were serve aolone one night and with filet(weird combo) another. We went to the Taj Mahal Lounge which is the main show room for bingo and then the main show. When they list their bingo time it is when they stat selling cards, not when the game starts. People line up on either side of the deck 2 level. On deck two the seating is bench style with a small fixed table for each two seats. there is plenty of leg room to allow the bar staff to move through. If you don't have long legs and don't want bar service the high back chairs with armrests are much more comfortable. They do have drinkholders that open up but they looked like they weren't cleaned. The ship on a whole was very clean and in great shape. The only place we noticed wear was our stateroom. Besides the bed and dresser there were stains on the carpet and the furniture need replacement. The BR tub and floor tile needed updating. The show was OK. It was the usual welcome aboard show we seen on all the cruise lines. The singers, dancers and comediene Frank Del Pizzo. He got funnier as he went along. He did an adult show the next night at 11:45 but we couldn't stay awake that late. The show was over 11:30 and the only thing going on after that was a 70's party. DH went to bed and I lost $40 at the casino. You can use cash or transfer money from your card. Either way set up an account because you rack up points. You have to play alot though to get anything. I played the slots every night and only had 950 points at the end, you needed 1000 points to get cash back. Others have posted they were giving free drinks to people playing, but I didn't get any. A few nights they were serving some Jamacan beef appetizer in the casino, but it didn't appeal. I can't believe I wrote this much and I am only on day one! I am trying to include all the things I wanted to see in reviews before I went. More later.

[green eyed lady]

Hi Janis :D

I'm waiting for more review ;)

I just made friends with Shirley on FaceBook :)

[family cruisers]

Can't wait to hear more more more...

We're sailing on Carnival Pride (first carnival cruise) in November and I want to hear everything .

Did you sail to Bahamas/ port canaveral?

 

We're driving to the port from NJ . Looking forward to this cruise.

[jamscckmc]

Hi Jen, I am long winded. I type with one finger so this review will take awhile and will probably have alot of typos. One quick correction. VIP is zone one no matter when you arrive. The first arriving non VIP are zone 2. Ignore the Carnival reccomended time of 2-4pm arrival. there was more traffic coming in at this time and longer lines. I would get here by noon if not vip. by 1230 if VIP if you want to beat the crowds on board. Others have said they got a phone call telling them to arrive between 2 and 4. We did not get a call.

[jamscckmc]

Our ports were Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Freeport. I will give all the details later. Great crew and good food! I gained 5 pounds.:eek:More later

[family cruisers]

want to hear on freeport as it's the only port you were in that we'll be at.

Beaches in freeport , nice ? I hope ?

 

Cabanas at the cruise pier ? Tell me about this or did I read something wrong?

Thanks so much.

Our ports were Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Freeport. I will give all the details later. Great crew and good food! I gained 5 pounds.:eek:More later

[jerseygirl2609]

This is great so far..... can't wait for more! We are leaving in 9 days:D

[jamscckmc]

Cabanas were at HMC but you could only reserve once on board. There are only 15 and unless you are VIP or in zone 2 I doubt you could get one. They are little buildings with ac and a misting fan, outside shower, table and chairs and 2 loungers. Great for people who can't be in the sun. Freeport was everybodies least favorite of the three. But I think it was because the others wee so great. There are some good excursions in Freeport but we did what most do. We took the $5pp cab to Our Lucaya. They cram as many as possible before they leave. Some have ac ours didn't. They will try and talk you into meeting them for the return trip, don't commit and definately don't pay roundtrip. There are loads of cabs to return to the ship but again they will fill them before they will leave. You walk behind the hotel/casino(if it's really hot hit the casino for afew minutes on your way in(at least to use the nice restrooms before you hit the beach) The beach is nice and you can rent jetskis and other stuff here. There were afew people selling things and doing hair braiding but they were not pushy. You could pay for a day pass ad use the pool but we had to be back on the ship by 2:30 and I didn't think it was worth it. We didn't rent chairs just laid our towels in the sand. We shoped at the straw market. Multible booths with the same things, straw items and 3/$10 tee shirts. All the ladies would call you into their booths but they weren't rude or pushy. They really wouldn't bargain much. On other islands they would start high, you start low and then you meet in the middle but they maybe came down a $1or 2 but that was it. There were alot of nice stores here but we didn't have the money or the time for high end shopping. Alot of people stayed on the ship or just went to the shops in the terminal but get off and see a little of this island. The people are very appreciative of your being there because not as many ships stop here anymore. I got ahead of myself. More later.

[kates024]

Can't wait to hear more, thanks!!

[maddjax2]

Thanks for taking time to post. I'm on the Pride in October with a different itinerary, but still love to read Pride reviews. It's our first cruise, so it's exciting.:)

[firefly4423]

thanks for sharing!

[Mack704]

DW and I are doing the Pride in October. We live in Pikesville and it's great that the port is only a 20 minute ride from home. My son will be dropping us off and picking us up.

 

A good part of the fun is the anticipation in the months leading up to the cruise. Reading reviews is a nice piece of that fun. It's almost like I was there with you!

 

Thanks a lot for sharing. Much appreciate it.

 

Notice after every two, three, or four sentences I'm writing, I'm skipping a line. Don't you think it's easier to read than one long paragraph?

 

Thanks again,

 

Harvey

[family cruisers]

Hate to sound stupid but what is "Our Lucaya" ? Is it a beach resort or just the beach?

We're there from 7am - 2pm (back on ship at 1:30 ) We want to spend the day at a beach. Is Our Lucaya a nice beach?

We don't need to shop at this port at all .

 

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, I really appreciate it.

 

Carrie

 

Cabanas were at HMC but you could only reserve once on board. There are only 15 and unless you are VIP or in zone 2 I doubt you could get one. They are little buildings with ac and a misting fan, outside shower, table and chairs and 2 loungers. Great for people who can't be in the sun. Freeport was everybodies least favorite of the three. But I think it was because the others wee so great. There are some good excursions in Freeport but we did what most do. We took the $5pp cab to Our Lucaya. They cram as many as possible before they leave. Some have ac ours didn't. They will try and talk you into meeting them for the return trip, don't commit and definately don't pay roundtrip. There are loads of cabs to return to the ship but again they will fill them before they will leave. You walk behind the hotel/casino(if it's really hot hit the casino for afew minutes on your way in(at least to use the nice restrooms before you hit the beach) The beach is nice and you can rent jetskis and other stuff here. There were afew people selling things and doing hair braiding but they were not pushy. You could pay for a day pass ad use the pool but we had to be back on the ship by 2:30 and I didn't think it was worth it. We didn't rent chairs just laid our towels in the sand. We shoped at the straw market. Multible booths with the same things, straw items and 3/$10 tee shirts. All the ladies would call you into their booths but they weren't rude or pushy. They really wouldn't bargain much. On other islands they would start high, you start low and then you meet in the middle but they maybe came down a $1or 2 but that was it. There were alot of nice stores here but we didn't have the money or the time for high end shopping. Alot of people stayed on the ship or just went to the shops in the terminal but get off and see a little of this island. The people are very appreciative of your being there because not as many ships stop here anymore. I got ahead of myself. More later.

[andychris]

thanks for the review-can't wait to hear more

[family cruisers]

me too...

 

thanks for the review-can't wait to hear more

[jamscckmc]

Our Lucaya/Port Lucaya is a beach area. The large hotel area has just gone through a change of hands. This is one of the major tourist areas with hotels, casino and beach area with rentals. The pool is for guests only but the beach is public. It's a nice beach. If I were to go again I would do Capt. Tony's sand dollar cruise. I have only read good reviews. Check the Bahamas site for more info.

 

Thanks Harvey, I will try and skip lines to make it easier to read.

 

Day two-- Bad night on bad mattress. Late breakfast in Lido. Bacon police were out. Everything else was self serve. Reg and banana pancakes. No french toast. The server said they alternate pancakes and french toast.

 

10:00 DH off to free golf clinic, I'm off to bingo, the girls to workout. Bingo 2 games. $10 for a single, $20 for double. No luck today:mad: Right after bingo in the Taj Mahal there was a shore excursion talk by the CD.

 

Lunch in the MDR(we tend to eat a lot less if we don't go to the buffet)

 

It started raining and continued the rest of the day. We went to the wine tasting at David's Supper Club at 2pm. The selections were good and they did it differently then I have ever seen before. They had a plate with, cheese, a cracker, a bite of salmon and tenderloin, a lime and lemon slice. You would taste the wine, then she would have try a bite of something and then taste the wine again and then it would taste different.There was bingo again at 2:45 but we were still at the wine tasting.

 

I don't know if it was the wine or the lack of sleep but I who never naps,laid down at 3:30 was shaken awake at 5:40 by DH. We missed the Captain's cocktail party and I had only 20min to get ready for cruise elegant night. We had main seating at 6pm in the lower, deck 2, Normandy dining room. We got to the dining room to find my DD outside saying someone at our table. We walked in and sure enough the table we were asigned was occupied and we were seated at a table that looked like it was placed there at the last minute. It was squeezed in there and it was so tight the waiters had turn sideways to get by. It didn't help that there were 5 kids at the table next to us that kept getting out of their chairs and leaving them in the way.

 

I was pleasently surprised that most people dressed up. From what I had read in other reviews I did not know what to expect. At least 50% of the men had suits and most of the rest had on a suit jacket or a dress shirt and tie. There were a few with just a dress shirt and a few with polos. I only saw a couple of tuxes and gowns. Most women had on cocktail dreeses. There were also quite a few dressy pants outfits. Our waiters were both from Indonesia. If you wanted a bottle of wine they brought it. Glasses of wine or other drinks were brought by a beverage server. Our waiters were very friendly. Knew our names and drink preferences by the next eve. Lobster tonight. DH had two. The girls had chocolate melting cake again, I can't remember what we had. I think it was creme brulee the 1st night though.

 

The show tonight was at 8:45 and 10:30. It was called Wonderful world with the singers and dancers. We went to the 8:45 show. It was pretty full, but there were seats available. The show was good. The female siger had a good voice the male just so-so. The dancers were good but they are leaving in two weeks. The new group was onboard learning the dances. It's amazing how many dances they did throughout the week and that they remembered all the steps. The girls had gone to the Starry Nights Lounge for adult Karaoke and we went there after the show. There is not enough alcohol on the ship to get DH or I up there but the girls sang every night( they just finished 6 years of choir in school and both have great voices) It was fun to watch and sing along. I would have liked to stay awake longer for the late night comedy show at 11:45 with the comedian from the night before. There was also a Michael Jackson Hour at beauties disco at 12:30. The ship was moving at a good clip and was rocking a little so I took 2 dramamine in the hopes of some sleep.

 

Day 3-- Slept well. Breakfast in the MDR. Was randomly seated with a couple from our rolecale. I had french toast(yum) and melon. DH had a ham and cheese omlet. After talking for awhile we relized they were on our rolecall. We brought them up to our room to show them our wrap around and talked for awhile. Missed morning bingo at10:30 but enjoyed the conversation. Jeanne, if you are reading this, Hi!

 

There was a port shopping talk in the shoeroom at 11. I have been to too many of these and wasn't planning any major shopping, so I skipped this.

It was a beautiful day today alot of people frying at the pool. The pools were very small with a weird wide lip that was a few inches deep. The hairy chest contest was at 1:15. The girls tried the slide and said it was fun.

 

Lunch in the MDR. I had the ravioli, quite good. 2pm was the love and marriage show. All the other cruiselines I have seen the show on the wives and husbands take turns leaving the stage while they asked the questions. At this show they sat back to back while they asked the ?? The couple that was married 50 years was hilarious.

 

After the show was a special spa/ 5 game bingo. Again no luck. There was various trivia each day but never made it there.

 

3:30 in theJewelry shop there was a raffle for a choice of a diamond ring or crystal earings.

 

Sorry I can't remember what was for dinner, but all the meals were good. I knew Carnival had relaxed it's dress code but I really was not expecting the men to be so casual . Except for the 1st night when the dress code was listed as come as you are, my DH wore dockers and a polo on the casual nights. The majority of the men had on casual shorts(not dress shorts) and sandals. Alot had beach flip flops even though they are not allowed. Some older men had tshirts with rude sayings on them. Alot were dressed more for McDonalds than a nice restaurant. The women for the most part were much nicer dressed. Mostly capris and sundresses. Some nights it was quite chilly in the MDR and at the show so I would bring a sweater if you plan to wear sundresses. There were very few jeans but it was very hot outside and I know we never bring jeans on a carribean cruise in the summer. I'm sure on your winter cruises more will wear jeans. I really don't enjoy looking at all those hairy legs at dinner, but don't flame me, that's just MHO.

 

Because of the deck party at 10:30 tonight the show is at 7 for late dinner seating and8:45 for main seating. Ventriloquist Jerry Goodspeed was great, don't miss the show.

 

Bring a blue shirt if you are in an even # stateroom and red if you are in an odd#. There is a running contest between the two teams blue and red throughout the cruise.

Wear your color to the deck party. They did the usual line dances and conga line with a twist, earning points for your team. Be careful as others have stated, the pool area is very slippery when wet. We witnessed a lot of people slipping during the week.

 

There was Mexican buffet out by the pool after the party. Luckily it was a beautiful night.

 

More tomorrow, I promise!

[green eyed lady]

Janis,

great review so far! I feel like I'm there with you guys :D

[pickypeg]

Do you have pictures. Love the review. We are in room 6243 does anyone have pictures of this room? This is the only review for last week. Was there not any one on your cruise? Glab you had a great time.:o

[baylivin]

jamscckmc - We were in karaoke every night but not usually past 11pm. In the Legends show, my husband was Frank Sinatra and our best friends were Gloria Estefan and Garth Brooks. We loved karaoke! :)

[jamscckmc]

Peg, We didn't have a very active rolecall so I don't know if there will be any other reviews. I really didn't take alot of pictures. Most are of DD posing infront of something. I don't know anything about you cabin except it looks like a good central location. It is a connecting room so it may have a different layout due to the connecting door. Ask about your stateroom on the stateroom site.

 

Jen, I wish you had been there!

 

Day 4---Grand Turk-Arrive 7am-- Late start, quick breakfast in the lido. We didn't get off until 10. We had rented a golf cart through Nathan Smith(see the GT site) This is a great port to just beach it. You just walk off the pier and the beach is right there. Free chairs and limited clamshells. Get out early if you want one of those. There is a Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville with bar, restaurant $$$$, and shops. there is a great big pool with a swimup bar and a DJ. My DD and her friend spent the day here. The DJ kept it fun with dancing and contests. Your preteens, teens and twentysomethings would enjoy this. They now have a flowrider there like on the new RC ships. Note to the females wear a teeshirt over your bathing suit. The boys loved watching this because there were alot of bikini top malfunctions.

 

The water had lots of rocks in it, I stubbed my toes and ruined my pedicure so wear water shoes! There are also alot of ruts/holes in the water, be careful. If you are looking at the beach as you come off the boat, there is a beach bar with rental to the left of the ship area. there is another cheaper bar a short walk away.

 

We had a 5 min walk to outside the gate where Nathans son was waiting with the last golf cart. We relized later we got the lemon when we were going at our max speed of 5 miles/hr as some young guys flew by us on their cart. If you rent one, get out early.

 

We went all over the island. We went to where they were horsebackriding on the beach. We crossed paths with the people doing the dunebuggies and they were covered with mud. We went to the lightlight and saw the old church. We didn't know it was a national holiday there and alot of things were closed.

 

We get back to the port at one. Checked out the action at the pool. Bought an overpriced T-shirt at the Margaritaville store for The Buffett concert next month.

 

All the clamshells were taken so we found some chairs with a little shade.We went in the water, again watch out for the rocks and ruts. It was pretty neat swimming right in front of the ship.

 

Back on the ship by 2. All aboard at 2:30. Sailaway at 3. Tried to get pizza but as usual the line was long. One guy going in and out of the kichen getting pizza, cutting it. Several pizzas listed but usually only two kinds readily available. Calzones are a 8 minute wait(they put them in the oven as ordered) only one kind available each day. Ceasar salad w or w/o chicken. Found my way to the grill outside. Hamburgers were pretty good. Fries great, like McDonalds. Chicken tenders not good. Dark meat and grisly. Tried hotdogs a few times, for some reason they were always cold. They also had chips with dip out here. The grill was outside the lido by the main pool. One of the 24hour ice cream/yogurt stands was here. The other was out the aft side of the lido near the adult pool. Not the best placement IMHO. The adult pool and bar are out here and having loud unsupervised kids out there getting ice cream can kinda spoil the mood. Peple have raved about the ice cream and I had looked forward to late night treats. I thought it was just OK, Not very creamy. They had ice cream and frozen yogurt machines with bowls and cones both places.

 

Not much going on, trivia and family Karaoke.Back to the cabin for a rest before dinner.

[jamscckmc]

Baylivin, My DD was Madonna and her friend was Brittainy Spears. Did he get a DVD of the show? The girls got home and relized they gave them a cruise in review DVD instead. I have contacted Carnival but we aren't to hopeful:(

[carribeanpirate18]

Do you have pictures. Love the review. We are in room 6243 does anyone have pictures of this room? This is the only review for last week. Was there not any one on your cruise? Glab you had a great time.:o

 

 

I was on the cruise as well and posted my review over the weekend.....although not nearly as detailed....

[cjkumbaya]

Really great review so far - thanks for taking the time to share with us. Looking forward to more.

[baylivin]

jamscckmc - we did get the video and it was the correct one. If it can be copied, I'll see if we can do so. I know some DVD's are protected from being copied. I remember the girls well. Everyone had such a great time in karaoke.

[pickypeg]

I was on the cruise as well and posted my review over the weekend.....although not nearly as detailed....

Sorry I did read it and loved it. I am just like every one that is wanting more.