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Living in Northeastern Pennsylvania has its perks. One of them being a 2 1/2 hour drive to the Port of Baltimore to cruise the Pride. It was very convenient and it sits right off of route 95. Another great perk was you didn't even have to get out of your car as you just popped the hatch and they took your luggage from there. How cool is that!!??
We arrived around 11:00am and went through the check in process very quickly. It was very organized and in my mind flawless. By 11:30 We had our first drinks and some lunch. At 2:00pm we decided to go see if our cabin was ready. Not only was it ready, but all of our luggage was there to. I had heard that your luggage arrived to your cabin after you do(sometimes long after) and was pleasantly surprised to see ours there. We had an 8E balcony on Panorama deck forward. Very quiet at anytime of the day.
The ship is decorated in the Renaissance era. Lots of naked statues, paintings, etc. We saw quite a few kids giggling. I didn't find it overkill and actually we liked it. There are some areas of the ship that feel darker than normal, but all in all it's laid out very well. It felt very uncrowded on the ship. The ship itself is very well kept and squeaky clean. The staff were all very very friendly,knowledgeable and went above and beyond to all of your needs.
The food. We did the breakfast buffet out on Lido deck everyday and found it always hot, fresh, filled and very tasty. Lunch on Lido was also just as good as breakfast. Dinner in the Normandie dining room wasn't so hot. You can tell there were major cutbacks here as the quality of the food was just sub par. We found most of the meals were very very bland, unseasoned or not seasoned enough. The food was never hot when it came to you, but lukewarm. We also felt they need to add more selections. Now Davids Steakhouse was amazing!!! Worth every penny and the best dinner I had all week. Get the cheesecake for dessert.
We never went to any of the shows or to see the comedians perform. The casino was always rocking along with all of the bars.
Our 15 year old son did Club O2 and enjoyed it very much. It's great that he could meet kids his age to hang out with.
We never did use the gym but it is really nice. All new equipment and never to busy.
The weather didn't cooperate with us on this trip, but never the less we had a great time as there are so many things you can do on the ship.
We chose self debarkation and it was very very very quick. We were off the ship by 9:00 am and in the car by 9:30 on our way home.
Overall this is a great cruise and a great value for your money. I recommend the Carnival Pride to all cruisers.
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