BACKGROUND:
I'm a solo cruiser, and don't have a lot of cruise experience. This was only my 4th cruise. The last one was 10 years ago. I didn't give a cruise vacation much thought until I found out that I could depart from Baltimore. No planes, no hotels...sounded good. So I booked on the Carnival PRIDE for the February 13, 2011 sailing to the Bahamas. I read some good and all the negative Carnival PRIDE reviews on Cruise Critic before sailing, so my expectations would not be too high. The reviews ranged from sensational to awful. I had a hard time understanding how people's perceptions could be so different. My only goals for this trip were to get some R&R and enjoy 80 degree weather in the middle of February. The following reflects my experience based on my expectations. Your opinion may vary depending on your experience and expectations for the cruise.
GETTING TO PORT: