A
AngelFan
Guest
Below is a poorly written review of our cruise on the Pride, Jan 22-29, 2006. I had written it for another member, but figured others might find it useful.
Check-in: On our previous cruise on the Pride, we arrived about 12:00 noon, for the published 1:00 to 3:00 boarding. It took us about 2-1/2 hours to go through the entire check-in process, getting us on board at about 2:30. This time we used the early Queen Mary check-in. This is open from about 9:00 to 11:00 (or 9:30 to 11:30. depending on which Carnival employee you ask). We arrived at about 10:00, and it took about 15 minutes to check in, where they took care of our Sail & Sign account, gave us our room key, and so on. We were then able to wander around the little shops, have a drink at the bar set up out there and generally relax until about 11:00, when they set up the “Zone 1†sign, where the line-up for early check-in people formed.
As a side note, there were 5 couples in our group, all there to celebrate my Mother-in-law’s 80th birthday. I had gone to the dock 2 weeks prior to our cruise to find out about the early check-in (Carnival seems to keep this a secret), where I met a delightful lady who works for Carnival directing the crowds, and letting everyone know where they should be. When I mentioned that it was Mom’s 80th, she said to look her up the day of our cruise, and she would give me and my wife, and Mom and Dad “Skippers Club†boarding privileges. So, I did that, and she remembered me and the offer she made, so she had the 4 of us line up in the Skippers Club line, while the rest of the family lined up behind the “Zone 1†sign. When boarding started about 11:30, this lady let about ½ of the Zone 1 group into the building before the Skippers Club group. There were only about 20 of us in the Skippers Club line, so I have no idea why we didn’t go first. The only explanation I have is that maybe I was supposed to “grease her palm†for doing this for us, and since I didn’t, she punished the whole line. I couldn’t really complain, since I didn’t legitimately belong in that line in the first place, but had I been an actual Skippers Club member, I would have been upset (as the rest of the line was). So, all our bragging about how we got Mom VIP boarding privileges was out the door. Everyone got on the ship before we did.
But that being said, we were still on the ship by about noon. Since we had already checked in, we just had to go through security, get the first of our about 8000 Carnival photo’s taken, and our Sail & Sign photo taken. Way better than arriving at noon for a 2-1/2 hour trip around the maze of barriers. When we did early check-in, we were given a paper which said we would probably board before the official 1:00 boarding time, however, we could not go to our cabins until 1:00. We headed to our cabins anyway, hoping we could drop off our carry-on luggage, and when we got there, our room steward told us that our rooms were ready, and we could start moving in.
None of our checked luggage had arrived yet, which brings up another side note. This was my second cruise on the Pride, and on both cruises, we received a notice in our stateroom on about Wednesday that there was one passenger missing a piece of luggage. Two things about this bother me. First, is this a common occurrence? If it is, I might be tempted to carry on as much as I could, since missing a piece of luggage could put a serious damper on my cruise. Second, why do they wait until Wednesday until they start looking for it? I imagine the notes to the other passengers is a last ditch effort, because I’d be really surprised if there was a passenger with a piece of somebody else’s luggage in their stateroom that didn’t realize they should let someone know… that thought it belonged in the room.
Anyway, since you’ve been on the Pride, I’ll just list some random comments and observations about our trip. We were on our second cruise (I don’t count the two RCCL cruised I took in the early 80’s, since that was too long ago, and I was much younger then). We had too couples of first-time cruisers, and one veteran couple (Mom & Dad, mostly NCL cruises) with us, so I’ll try to include their comments also.
The staterooms were very nice. We had extended balcony cabins about mid-ship on the Veranda deck. Dad was really impressed with the size of the cabin compared to the NCL cabins. The main complaint was the ventilation system. It stopped working for several hours on at least two occasions, and when it was working, it is very loud. The noise didn’t bother me, since I live in a city area, I’m used to noise at night. But it was annoying to our family members who live in the country, and are used to dead silence at night. I brought two bungee cords to hold the balcony door open when we wanted it, which was handy. Previously, we had used the rubber wedge that the steward uses for the main door, but it was nice to use the bungee cords, and use the wedge to prop the main door open, although this occasionally created a wind tunnel effect.
Our dining room staff was outstanding. On our previous cruise, we had the misfortune of having the only bad waiter ever on a cruise ship. This time, our head waitress (Hania) and her assistant (who’s name escapes me right now) could not have been better. Hania is retiring from this business in two weeks, after working cruises for two years. Her assistant is on contract until April, and she actually teared up on the last night when they sang their “sorry to see you go… songâ€Â. Of course, when she started wiping tears away, all the women (ok, maybe one or two men also) started crying. It was quite a scene…
The food was excellent. We ate in the dining room every night. Didn’t try David’s Supper Club, even though it seems to be highly recommended. Just couldn’t see spending the additional $60 (per couple), when we were enjoying the regular dining room food. Breakfast was typically on the Lido Buffet, and lunch was all over the place. The one day we ate breakfast in the formal dining room was a bit disappointing. I expected the food to be better in the dining room, but it was basically the same. For example, I ordered hash browns in the dining room, expecting real fried up hash browns. But I got two of the same hash brown “nuggets†that they serve in the buffet. In fact, it appeared they ran up to the buffet to fulfill my whole order, it was exactly the same, except they served it to me, and I didn’t have to stand in line. Of course, I didn’t have the privilege of picking and choosing what I wanted either. I loved the grill by the pool for lunch. Excellent cheeseburgers, chili-dogs, and chili-fries. The deli inside Mermaids Grill also made very good sandwiches. Of course, the pizza is pretty good, although I would prefer more of the traditional topping choices, but that’s just me. I’d prefer a pepperoni and sausage pizza over say the barbeque Thai chicken. But all-in-all, loved the Lido deck food. Great variety and very good quality. Dad actually liked the layout of the buffet over the NCL layout, since they split it into several different stations, instead of one long buffet line.
Our sister and husband (first time cruisers) complained endlessly about the music on the Lido deck. They felt that since they were on a Mexican Riviera cruise, that the music should be Mexican themed, such as Mariachi. They hated the Jamaican/Reggie that was being played. This didn’t bother me in the slightest, in fact, continuous Mariachi music while I’m laying out by the pool may have sent me over the edge. But again, personal preference…
Dad was disappointed in that there was not a dedicated movie theater on the ship (as there apparently is on NCL ships). They did go to a movie showing, which was held in the Butterfly’s Lounge, but the screen was kind of small, and they didn’t have popcorn. Again, I’m just passing along everyone’s comments. Personally, I don’t remember having enough free time to watch a movie, so it didn’t bother me. There was always three free movies playing on TV, or there was the option of pay-per-view in the rooms. On the subject of TV; we had CBS, NBC, and ABC channels for the first couple of days, then they went away. Not a big deal, but I thought it was strange.
The cruise director (Gregg) and his staff were excellent. He’s a funny and personable guy, although he tended to ramble on way too long over the P.A. There prizes for various contests seem to have diminished to either a gold plated “ship on a stickâ€Â, or a Carnival medallion. They used to give away a lot of stuff from various port retailers (i.e., I won a Sr. Frogs tee-shirt last cruise), but there was none of that any more. But, as usual, everyone was upbeat, and fun, and a lot of variety in the activities.
The evening shows were mostly good, and Dad claimed they were up to par with anything he’s seen on other lines. They seem to have stopped referring to the two major production shows as “Vegas styleâ€Â, which I’m glad they did. Although the shows are very impressive (with 14 dancers and singers), they really don’t compare wit the dozens of dancers, singers, props, etc. you see in a real Vegas show. But, for what it is, it is very well done, and very entertaining. The two comedians were very funny, especially at their “R-rated†midnight shows.
Well, that’s all I can think of that might be useful information. Let me know if there is anything specific that I missed, and I’ll be happy to answer your questions. All-in-all, a great cruise, a great ship, great staff, and a great time.
Check-in: On our previous cruise on the Pride, we arrived about 12:00 noon, for the published 1:00 to 3:00 boarding. It took us about 2-1/2 hours to go through the entire check-in process, getting us on board at about 2:30. This time we used the early Queen Mary check-in. This is open from about 9:00 to 11:00 (or 9:30 to 11:30. depending on which Carnival employee you ask). We arrived at about 10:00, and it took about 15 minutes to check in, where they took care of our Sail & Sign account, gave us our room key, and so on. We were then able to wander around the little shops, have a drink at the bar set up out there and generally relax until about 11:00, when they set up the “Zone 1†sign, where the line-up for early check-in people formed.
As a side note, there were 5 couples in our group, all there to celebrate my Mother-in-law’s 80th birthday. I had gone to the dock 2 weeks prior to our cruise to find out about the early check-in (Carnival seems to keep this a secret), where I met a delightful lady who works for Carnival directing the crowds, and letting everyone know where they should be. When I mentioned that it was Mom’s 80th, she said to look her up the day of our cruise, and she would give me and my wife, and Mom and Dad “Skippers Club†boarding privileges. So, I did that, and she remembered me and the offer she made, so she had the 4 of us line up in the Skippers Club line, while the rest of the family lined up behind the “Zone 1†sign. When boarding started about 11:30, this lady let about ½ of the Zone 1 group into the building before the Skippers Club group. There were only about 20 of us in the Skippers Club line, so I have no idea why we didn’t go first. The only explanation I have is that maybe I was supposed to “grease her palm†for doing this for us, and since I didn’t, she punished the whole line. I couldn’t really complain, since I didn’t legitimately belong in that line in the first place, but had I been an actual Skippers Club member, I would have been upset (as the rest of the line was). So, all our bragging about how we got Mom VIP boarding privileges was out the door. Everyone got on the ship before we did.
But that being said, we were still on the ship by about noon. Since we had already checked in, we just had to go through security, get the first of our about 8000 Carnival photo’s taken, and our Sail & Sign photo taken. Way better than arriving at noon for a 2-1/2 hour trip around the maze of barriers. When we did early check-in, we were given a paper which said we would probably board before the official 1:00 boarding time, however, we could not go to our cabins until 1:00. We headed to our cabins anyway, hoping we could drop off our carry-on luggage, and when we got there, our room steward told us that our rooms were ready, and we could start moving in.
None of our checked luggage had arrived yet, which brings up another side note. This was my second cruise on the Pride, and on both cruises, we received a notice in our stateroom on about Wednesday that there was one passenger missing a piece of luggage. Two things about this bother me. First, is this a common occurrence? If it is, I might be tempted to carry on as much as I could, since missing a piece of luggage could put a serious damper on my cruise. Second, why do they wait until Wednesday until they start looking for it? I imagine the notes to the other passengers is a last ditch effort, because I’d be really surprised if there was a passenger with a piece of somebody else’s luggage in their stateroom that didn’t realize they should let someone know… that thought it belonged in the room.
Anyway, since you’ve been on the Pride, I’ll just list some random comments and observations about our trip. We were on our second cruise (I don’t count the two RCCL cruised I took in the early 80’s, since that was too long ago, and I was much younger then). We had too couples of first-time cruisers, and one veteran couple (Mom & Dad, mostly NCL cruises) with us, so I’ll try to include their comments also.
The staterooms were very nice. We had extended balcony cabins about mid-ship on the Veranda deck. Dad was really impressed with the size of the cabin compared to the NCL cabins. The main complaint was the ventilation system. It stopped working for several hours on at least two occasions, and when it was working, it is very loud. The noise didn’t bother me, since I live in a city area, I’m used to noise at night. But it was annoying to our family members who live in the country, and are used to dead silence at night. I brought two bungee cords to hold the balcony door open when we wanted it, which was handy. Previously, we had used the rubber wedge that the steward uses for the main door, but it was nice to use the bungee cords, and use the wedge to prop the main door open, although this occasionally created a wind tunnel effect.
Our dining room staff was outstanding. On our previous cruise, we had the misfortune of having the only bad waiter ever on a cruise ship. This time, our head waitress (Hania) and her assistant (who’s name escapes me right now) could not have been better. Hania is retiring from this business in two weeks, after working cruises for two years. Her assistant is on contract until April, and she actually teared up on the last night when they sang their “sorry to see you go… songâ€Â. Of course, when she started wiping tears away, all the women (ok, maybe one or two men also) started crying. It was quite a scene…
The food was excellent. We ate in the dining room every night. Didn’t try David’s Supper Club, even though it seems to be highly recommended. Just couldn’t see spending the additional $60 (per couple), when we were enjoying the regular dining room food. Breakfast was typically on the Lido Buffet, and lunch was all over the place. The one day we ate breakfast in the formal dining room was a bit disappointing. I expected the food to be better in the dining room, but it was basically the same. For example, I ordered hash browns in the dining room, expecting real fried up hash browns. But I got two of the same hash brown “nuggets†that they serve in the buffet. In fact, it appeared they ran up to the buffet to fulfill my whole order, it was exactly the same, except they served it to me, and I didn’t have to stand in line. Of course, I didn’t have the privilege of picking and choosing what I wanted either. I loved the grill by the pool for lunch. Excellent cheeseburgers, chili-dogs, and chili-fries. The deli inside Mermaids Grill also made very good sandwiches. Of course, the pizza is pretty good, although I would prefer more of the traditional topping choices, but that’s just me. I’d prefer a pepperoni and sausage pizza over say the barbeque Thai chicken. But all-in-all, loved the Lido deck food. Great variety and very good quality. Dad actually liked the layout of the buffet over the NCL layout, since they split it into several different stations, instead of one long buffet line.
Our sister and husband (first time cruisers) complained endlessly about the music on the Lido deck. They felt that since they were on a Mexican Riviera cruise, that the music should be Mexican themed, such as Mariachi. They hated the Jamaican/Reggie that was being played. This didn’t bother me in the slightest, in fact, continuous Mariachi music while I’m laying out by the pool may have sent me over the edge. But again, personal preference…
Dad was disappointed in that there was not a dedicated movie theater on the ship (as there apparently is on NCL ships). They did go to a movie showing, which was held in the Butterfly’s Lounge, but the screen was kind of small, and they didn’t have popcorn. Again, I’m just passing along everyone’s comments. Personally, I don’t remember having enough free time to watch a movie, so it didn’t bother me. There was always three free movies playing on TV, or there was the option of pay-per-view in the rooms. On the subject of TV; we had CBS, NBC, and ABC channels for the first couple of days, then they went away. Not a big deal, but I thought it was strange.
The cruise director (Gregg) and his staff were excellent. He’s a funny and personable guy, although he tended to ramble on way too long over the P.A. There prizes for various contests seem to have diminished to either a gold plated “ship on a stickâ€Â, or a Carnival medallion. They used to give away a lot of stuff from various port retailers (i.e., I won a Sr. Frogs tee-shirt last cruise), but there was none of that any more. But, as usual, everyone was upbeat, and fun, and a lot of variety in the activities.
The evening shows were mostly good, and Dad claimed they were up to par with anything he’s seen on other lines. They seem to have stopped referring to the two major production shows as “Vegas styleâ€Â, which I’m glad they did. Although the shows are very impressive (with 14 dancers and singers), they really don’t compare wit the dozens of dancers, singers, props, etc. you see in a real Vegas show. But, for what it is, it is very well done, and very entertaining. The two comedians were very funny, especially at their “R-rated†midnight shows.
Well, that’s all I can think of that might be useful information. Let me know if there is anything specific that I missed, and I’ll be happy to answer your questions. All-in-all, a great cruise, a great ship, great staff, and a great time.
