Background: We were on the July 27th sailing on the Carnival Pride out of Long Beach to the Mexican Rivera. There were eight in our party. My wife and I are in our early fifties, our two sons ages 18 and 22. My brother and sister-in-law are in their mid forties, my niece 15 and nephew 17. My wife and I have cruised about six times before and have not cruised with Carnival since our honeymoon over 25 years ago. To be honest with you we were a little nervous about this cruise because we did not have the best experience on our honeymoon cruise and weren't sure how Carnival would compare with Princess and Royal Caribbean, which we have enjoyed cruising on. We were looking for a family cruise and because the price of this cruise was so good we decided to give it a shot. I can say that we were very pleased with our decision to go on the Carnival Pride.

HOTEL: We drove down from Northern California the day before and stayed at "The Coast Long Beach Hotel." We recommend you staying at this hotel because they offer a stay and park package. It is very close to ship and they offer a free shuttle to the pier. We also recommend taking the free shuttle to downtown Long Beach where they have lots of restaurants and shopping. SHIP INFORMATION: We were very impressed with the ship. It's decorated with and Italian art motif. There was a lot of attention to detail and the Renaissance atrium with the glass elevators was impressive. The lounges and the restaurant were also decorated very nicely. It was one of the prettiest ships that we have been on. It also was very clean, but did show a little wear and tear in some places. But with 2,000 passengers on it each week it is to be expected. Our cabin was 7170 a balcony cabin, category 8G, was clean and well maintained by the cabin steward who was very friendly and helpful.

DINING: The Normandie Restaurant was very good. The food was of good quality and the service was excellent. A request of extra appetizers or main course was never a problem even on lobster night. The food was always warm and served in a timely manner. The Lido deck had good choices, sandwiches, pizza, salads, hamburger and French fries, etc. It was crowded during breakfast and lunch and it took a while to find seating. David's Supper Club was fantastic. We had dinner there for our anniversary with my brother-in -law and sister-in-law and we can say that it was one of the best meals we have ever had! I had lobster and my wife had surf ant turf which was amazing. The service was excellent. The desserts were spectacular. The only complaint we have is that there seemed to be a confusion of what the dress code is. We were told to wear a suit jacket and dress, but there was no enforcement of the dress code. There was someone in the dining room wearing shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. We think Carnival should be clear on what the dress code is and enforce it. Read more