My friend had a nice experience with Carnival Cruise (Other Ship) so I decided to go for Pride. This was my first Cruise. Being a vegetarian I was told there are enough food for me. Yes, it was enough but not the way most of the vegetarian people like me (Indian Hindu Vegetarian) Can you imagine they serve us Indian Punjabi Dish (the only Vegetarian Dish they have on their menu) without Naan / Chapati, Also, they served Indian MASALA DOSA without Chatni / SAMBHAR. I haven't seen the single restaurant on any part of US and India who server dishes like they did served us. We chat with the servers and they seem helpless. On the 9th floor (where they serve all food - not for dinner) I asked chief cook about to give me boiled PASTA without any sausage, He simply told me to contact the 2nd floor (where I have to describe my situation to his head chef) and then come back to him. Looks like they don't have any rights to fulfill a simple request for a person like me. We managed with Continental SALADS and normal sandwiches. Regarding using the facility, staff were helpless, I saw people secured their hut, swings and sun chairs simply putting the towel for the whole day. I had to cut sort my Grand Turn beach time to use a facility. Cabin crews and Dinner Servers were simply great. This is the reason I gave them 3 stars. Shore Excursions for Freeport. I spend $40/- just to visit a beach and take a bath which was completely free on Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay. Not worth. I can say that this is not good for people like me. Don't waste money and time. Read Less

This was my first cruise on carnival pride and it was not a pleasant experience. We were in a cabin that had plumbing issues. We reported the issues four several days and nothing was done. We were not asked by the cruise line if they could do anything to accommodate us. So on the fourth day of the cruise we asked to be moved to another cabin we were. The eateries were closed by 6pm except for the pizza eatery which closed at 10pm and if you wanted something from room service, there was a charge. In the dining hall, there was a $20 surcharge for certain items on the menu. They only have us 5 channels on the tv that played old movies like Tootsie, Candy Man, etc. With the sofa package you were required to purchase your beverage from one of the many bars but they were not always open. Now let's talk about the smoking in the casino. You could smell the smoke throughout the whole deck. The entertainment was not consistent. There were times where no activities were scheduled. Then there was bingo. You only winners were the people who purchased the $40 or more bingo packs(unfair). Read Less

Cruised as a family of four on 5/27/18 out of Baltimore to the Eastern Caribbean. Two adults, two kids (11 and 7). We visited Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Freeport. Grand Turk was great, Half Moon Cay was AH-mazing. Absolutely breath taking, so gorgeous. Freeport, was well...pointless. The stop in Freeport was short 7am-1pm. The only thing to do straight off the boat was to visit the Straw Market OR book an excursion for this port. We took an excursion at Grand Turk through a private company that we found straight off the boat. It was cheaper than a carnival excursion and the people were familiar with time frame of when we needed to be back. We had a balcony Cabin on the 8th floor/level. It had a king sized bed, sofa and a pullman. Every bed was comfortable. The room was exceptionally clean and while I was told cabins are small, we had no trouble at all. There is plenty of storage to unpack and place your clothes in closets, drawers or cabinets. The bathroom is small but very functional. Alot of storage around the bathroom mirror and in cubbies below the sink. We had a wonderful cabin steward, Jeffrey. He welcomed me by my first name and said hello every time he saw me. He was extremely attentive and very sweet. We ate at the Normandie restaurant the first night we were there. We were not impressed with the food AT all. However, every day there after we had Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner at the Mermaid Grille. Everything was tasty, fresh and well prepared. Cannot complain once ounce about the Mermaid Grille. Pizza Pirate (24 hour pizza) was delicious! Many buffet offerings for all three meals. However, I would like to suggest that they offer more kid friendly foods. Things such as, chicken nuggets, pb&j, chips, grapes, etc. I have a picky eater who ate hot dogs all week. They do have a buffet for the Camp Ocean kids nightly, but unless your child is eating with the counselors you aren't allowed to have any of the offerings from that buffet. Which, was pretty annoying. Blue Iguana Cantina was hands down the BEST. Tacos, burritos, and taco bowls. So good! Fresh, made to order. Amazing. Guy's burgers was a hit too. My daughter loved their burgers. I can't speak on them, as I didn't have one. But, their fries were fantastic. Public bathrooms on the Lido deck need a little more attention. There were a few toilets that did not work, and often the floors were wet from people leaving the pool to use the restroom. So, hazardous to people walking on the tile floors there. The two pools were nice, however very crowded. I did like that they were always staffed with lifeguards. I wish that they would make a designated smoking area on the ship outside away from the mid ship pool. I hated smelling cigarettes everyday. I also, wish the staff would enforce their pool lounge chair policies. People would be up very early saving 2-4 pool lounge chairs with their blue towels and wouldn't even be in the lounger or near it. This was especially frustrating to me, as my kids were always swimming and often times there was no where for me to sit and watch them. Entertainment was awesome! 99 Keys show in the Taj Mahal was our favorite. We went to both shows. Lip Sync Battle on the last sea day was great too. Bendy Blake is an awesome dancer. Leigh the Cruise Director was fantastic! Very upbeat, involved and informative. Every morning he would address the ship, talk about the days activities and keep everyone informed on daily fun. I couldn't imagine a better Cruise Director. The Comedy club was so much fun. I only saw the 18+ shows and Jaylyn Bishop was fantastic. So incredibly funny! I love her delivery and humor. She's energetic, upbeat and puts on a great show. My kids didn't like Camp Ocean. Figures. They said it was boring. Very structured. But, that's the whole point. I saw many kids in and out of Camp Ocean. So, clearly they are doing something right. The service from all the ship employees was wonderful. Everyone was helpful. Everyone was kind. I never ran into any person with a bad attitude. There was a woman that worked in the Mermaid Grille area, clearing tables and cleaning up. I cannot recall her name but my 7 year old son needed the restroom. I didn't know where the closest one was and she walked my son to the restroom, waited for him and walked him back to me. I was blown away and so grateful. I never expected it. I wish I could recall her name so I could give her proper recognition but I don't. I did not use Spa facilities but I did use the gym. Treadmills, ellipticals, and bikes for cardio. Free weights and machines for weight lifting. I went to the gym early morning and mid afternoon, I never felt it was overcrowded. It was again, clean. The ship does offer spinning and yoga classes, but these cost $ and I did not attend them. Overall, we had a wonderful time. The Pride is one of the oldest ships in the fleet and while you can definitely see her wear and tear, she is clean. We would absolutely cruise with Carnival again. Read Less

I have been on the Pride before, but not for 7 or 8 years. Have been cruising with family on NCL which I adore, but needed to leave from Baltimore since cruising with a friend this time...so back on the Pride! I had pretty low expactations, thinking of Carnival being more of a budget line. Don’t know why, because the cruise was not cheap. ($3400 for two-vista suite room). Embarkation was a breeze! Stopped for drinks and burgers at Guy Fieri’s....not the best but certainly good. Room was ready and our luggage was there. The liquor/mixers/water we had ordered for the room were there. Dinner the first night was ok...we sat with some other people who didn’t seem to want to talk, which was fine. During the week the dinners were good and something always caught my eye so we never made it to the steakhouse. After the first night we had a table for two. My fave dinners were the short ribs, egg roll appetizer and fried chicken. Caesar salad was amazing and extra anchovies were available! Call me crazy, but I loved the waitstaff show! Also loved the sea day brunch. Had eggs Benedict every time and they were perfect. Worst part about ordering this dish (for me) is getting a semi hard yolk. I like ‘em runny and they were perfect! Bacon was good too. Only lunch we had was the taco bowl and it was delicious! Really didn’t experience the buffet. We pretty much stayed in the back of the ship! All we needed was right there! Our room and fantastic balcony, restaurant, pool and bar! We didn’t make it to any shows or karaoke, which we had planned to....BUT every night after dinner we went to the Alchemy Bar, made tons of friends and that was all the entertainment we needed. (Bartenders Dejan and Nikolai are the best!) I’ve been on nine cruises and have never interacted with so many happy people! All you need to do is ask the person next to you if they are having fun and the conversation is off and running! We always ran into the same people....maybe we are just all “back of the boat people”. The serenity pool was fun although finding chairs together is a challenge. But the crowd is fun, if not as rowdy as the main pool and there is plenty of shaded seating too. So.....I’m a senior and my review is based on not seeing/doing everything available on board. There were a few things that could be improved, def need tablecloths every night not just fancy dress night, the wait staff needs a lesson on what a lemon is and what a lime is, and wake up calls could be a little less spotty (although this would be a major problem if you were relying on one to ensure you made your excursion time) but nothing made me think I’d never cruise with them again. As a matter of fact, my friend and I have already decided to cruise the Pride again next year! Read Less

My family has been over 10 cruises, mainly on Princess and MSC. This was our first Carnival Cruise (May 20 – 27, 2018) and it will not be our last. The staff on the Carnival Pride was the friendliest and most helpful of all the ships we have sailed. As others have echoed in previous posts – I could not find one staff member who did not have a smile on their face in the entire week. We choose this cruise as it was only 40 minutes from home to the port. No flying this time. It worked out great as we were able to use the pool from the beginning to the end of the cruise as the weather was warm. Keep in mind - if you go from October to April – you may have to spend the sea days inside. Let me run down the week’s events and categorize them. Embarkation – The cruise port of Baltimore is very easy in and out right off of I-95. With only one cruise ship in port at a time – there is little to no traffic in and out. Tip – make sure you have your tagged luggage ready to be dropped off. Prior to parking – porters take the luggage from your car and place it into airport style luggage carts prior to parking. Parking is $15 a day – and you pay when you arrive. If you have cash there is a separate line to pay. Plan on getting to the port no earlier than 11:30am as they will not let you park prior to that time. Going through security and getting your cruise card was easy and quick. For those who like to be dropped off that is easy as well – follow the signs and they will direct drop offs accordingly. Tip - for out of towners – there is no food available to purchase at the cruise port – you will have to wait until you get aboard. Bonus Tip - Cruise goes under the Key Bridge about 20 minutes after leaving Baltimore and under the dual spans of the Bay Bridge about 2 hours after departure. Nice feature to go under bridges as with Fort Lauderdale and Miami you make the turnout of port and you are in the Atlantic Ocean. Bonus Bonus Tip - you do not need to go to the muster station drill with your life jacket. Just go to your station and the drill took place at about 4:30pm. Each child under 12 will get a wrist band to identify the muster station they need to be for the length of the cruise. Ship – The ship is older. If you are looking for the latest and greatest bells and whistles (no rock walls, ice skating, indoor parks, bowling alleys, etc…) then you will be disappointed. If you are looking for a cozy ship – 2124 passengers – and temper your expectations – then you will be pleasantly surprised. Yes, there was paint peeling and some rust spots on the balconies. The years of salty air does wear on the ship. But overall it has held up very well. Food – Main Dining Room – food was adequate – service was exceptional. Tip - We had anytime dining and we were able to secure the same table every night at 5:45pm. If you want the same table every night – make sure you get there early on the 1st night and then follow through on the 2nd. After that you are all set. The waiters and staff were extremely helpful. The best we ever had – thank you Michael from table 400. My daughter is on a special medically prescribed Ketogenic Diet (for her seizures) and they made sure Chicken, Pork and Beef Burgers were cooked without seasoning. We were able to get the menu for the next night and choose in advance. Carnival was by far the MOST accommodating food staff we ever had. We also were able to finish dinner and catch 7:30 and 7:00pm pre-shows with easy. We just let our waiter Michael know that we wanted to make the show and he speed up service. Buffet - food was adequate. Tasty – nothing extraordinary. Try Chopsticks for Chinese food at lunch. 24 hour pizza was great – be sure to ring the bell after hours. Guy’s burger joint – burgers and fries were awesome. The tacos and burritos on deck 9 allowed for a quick and very tasty meal without losing your pool chairs or having to walk through the buffet line. Room Service – typical food – delivered on time. There are few items on the room service menu that do charge extra – chicken wings – special desert, etc… Spent $0 Specialty Restaurants - we did not use them. Spent $0 Casino – we did not use the Casino. Spent $0 Bars – we did not use them. Spent $0 Photos – we took pictures every night. Carnival does the standard placing of photos on deck #3 and you spend time looking up and down for the ones you took. They offer a 10% discount for the embarkation photos on the first two days. 8x10 photos are $21.99. They do offer Shutterfly bonuses with certain # of photos purchase. Tip – if you are getting multiple photos - be sure to ask for the $1 per photo add on to digital image. We got 10 photos and for $10 extra got them on a USB cruise drive so we could print copied out at home. Bogo, Stefan and Yogi were great with our photos. Spent $225 Excursions – Grand Turk – we did not do an organized excursion – ship docked. There is a beach right off the ship – with chairs and umbrellas. First two rows – you can pay to sit – rows 3 and back are all wide open. Beach has some rocks and a rocky shelf in the water. Just watch your step. There is a Jimmy Buffet’s Margaretville in the secured cruise area. The pool is huge. You can buy food/drinks if you want to but there is no requirement. Great place to sit and enjoy the music and people watch. In addition to Jimmy Buffet’s - there are local shops all in the secured area – haggle if you want but the items are reasonable priced. Spent $40 for a beer, iced tea and monster chicken nachos and $30 for souvenirs. Tip – 15% service charge and VAT are already included in the bill. Half Moon Cay - we did not do an organized excursion – tender into port. The tender is a short 15 minute ride – smooth sailing. Get your tender tickets starting at 8:30am from the Lido deck and wait until your number is called. The process was typical and smooth. The private cay has plenty of beach chairs and there are spots with tree coverage. Food is buffet style burgers, hot dogs and jerk chicken on the island. Tip - Try the chicken it is better than the hot dogs and burgers. You can rent water sport gear if you like. Beach has superfine sand and crystal clear. You can walk out 150 feet and still have the water at chest level. There is ample time at Half Moon Cay. Spent $0 Freeport – we choose the beach excursion. Meet at the Harley Davison Store in the port – easy to find and wait for the double decker bus to take you to the other side of the island. 20 minute ride. May is rainy season – so the skies opened up as we drove to the beach. Those on the 2nd level of the bus got wet. We enjoyed the experience of getting soaked even before we got to the beach. It rained the morning except for the last 40 minutes. We still went in the water as it was warmer than the rain. So people left early as the bus came 2 and 3 hours into the excursion. We stayed the 4 hours and enjoyed getting wet in and out of the water. Some people were disappointed but you cannot control the weather. Spent $120 for the excursion and an addition $11 for nachos. There are about 30+ shops right off the ship. Tip - Head away from the first few shops and you will get better deals. We picked up a large Bongo that they engraved for $25 to the left of the Harley shop from a couple when the same Bongo was $75 from the first shop through the gate. Again haggle if you like – but this couple was working hard and handmade all their goods. They also had homemade wooden crosses with shells and local rocks that were only $10. Spent $50 on souvenirs. Shows on Board – there are four main shows – 80’s Pop Music –Hart & Soul – Getaway Island and 88 Keys. We went to the 7:30 shows and sat in the front row every night. The 8 person cast works had and the shows were fun. If you are used to MSC’s grand productions this is not. But if you want toe taping music that you can sing to and feed off the energy from the cast – then it is great. Comedians – did not attend any of the shows. Pools – two main pools – were never crowded – even on sea days. Water area in back of ship had some strange hours and they do close it if it is too windy. Mini golf is best early morning as there is no shade. Tip - Just be patient for chairs near poolside. Serenity Adult retreat - did not use. Kids’ Activities – did not use. We had a blast with our 8 ½ year old daughters by our side the entire time. We are probably the exception to the rule – but when we go on vacation we do not take a vacation from family time. Seeing her enjoy herself and exploring the ship together was a blast. Tip – find the Sunset Garden forward on deck 3 and explore it on a rainy day and if you want peace and quiet. Great place to get away especially if only have an interior room. Room and Room Steward - Ms. Lui was great. Room was always clean, bathroom is older but you get a stronger shower as the water saving features is not in place. Room was comfortable and the beds were surprising good. We had an extended balcony which was nice on the starboard side. Tip - Starboard side gives you views of Baltimore. Port side gives you views of Grand Turk and Freeport. Debarkation – Carnival allows you to select early or late debarkation times by selecting the luggage tag on the last sea day. You also have the option of walking off with your luggage. Keep in mind the cruise ship does not dock until 9:30am on Sunday. We waited in the Taj Mahal to have our number called for early tagged debarkation. There was a delay in getting off the ship as there was only one emigration office at the port. Not Carnival’s fault but shame on the port of Baltimore for only having one guard at the start of debarkation. Positives – it was a very inexpensive cruise for the three of us. Service was great. The ship was never crowded to us and there were ample activities on board during sea days. Negatives – pool deck is super slippery – walk and do not run. We saw 5 people go down even as the deck hands were trying to keep the decks dry. Speaker system on board is poor – could hardly hear any announcements. Iffies – the weather – leaving out of Baltimore you never know what weather you are going to get. We lucked out with great weather. We enjoyed our cruise close to home and will go again. May – September are probably the best weather months to cruise out of Baltimore. Hope you enjoyed this review as much as I enjoyed experiencing it. Read Less

My daughter and I went on this cruise to celebrate her recent college graduation. The staff was awesome. There was always something to do. The cruise director, Leigh, was really fun and had a great sense of humor. The steakhouse was a bit overpriced. Dinner was great every night. Over head waiter, Ardeka, was awesome along with his team. They made dinner fun. Although the cruise was redirected fro Grand Turk to Nassau, we still had a great time. Apparently there was a medical emergency of some kind. Our cabin as really nice, we enjoyed the balcony. Half moon day was so beautiful. The medical staff was also really great as I somehow ripped my toenail off with the cabin door. They were very kind and compassionate and took care of me right away. Only improvements I would recommend is i wish the serenity deck could have been bigger. It was always crowded. Also didn't like smoking in the casino. Embarkation was a breeze, debarkation took awhile because there were not enough immigration staff. Overall great trip with fun memories for my daughter and I. Can't wait to go again! Read Less

This was my family’s first cruise, sailed with our 7 year old boarding went smoothly went straight up to our room then got to go explore before muster the rooms were great very comfortable and clean the ship is wonderfully decorated and any needed improvements are being taken care of soon when the ship is in dry dock. Now for the staff....... we could not of asked for a better staff Leigh the cruise director was hilarious Blake Bradley and Fran and Michelle(Shelly) from the fun squad were so much fun and very friendly and personable the games were a lot of fun and we won two ships would definitely recommend taking advantage of all the games/trivia/shows that are offered I can’t say enough good things about our wait staff unfortunately I don’t remember there name but table 149 was amazing they greeted us by name everyday and took time to speak to us and served us quickly and Edgar our steward was great we didn’t see him much because we weren’t in the room much but our room was always clean with a adorable towel animal my daughter also spent some time at camp ocean which was great it gave me and my husband time to spend together and have adult time while she went and had a blast and made a lot of new friends Read Less

First 2 days of food we're good then drastically got worse, terrible service waiting 2 hours for dinner. We rarely saw our server he served everyone else around us first. Horribly overcrowded and "free" activities you had no where to sit or had to draw raffle tickets just to participate. Lines to participate in anything most of the day was spent waiting to play ping pong avoiding the crowds was impossible There was a charge for everything so there wasn't much to do. Cups and plates were dirty, good luck finding someone to help you. Never sail carnival pride. At least the rooms were kept clean and enjoyed the towel animals they provided. The line to get off the ship was incredibly slow because they only had one immigration officer. The entire trip felt like smushed sardines that was bumped and pushed the entire time. Do yourself a favor and go to a resort Read Less

We chose this cruise, after being on 7 different ones, because of the close proximity to where we live...went with in laws who don't like flying and a fairly easy four hour drive. First off, FTTF gave us the FASTEST embarkation of all other cruises...if we waited ten minutes to board, after checking in for sailaway card, I'd be surprised. This was true also of disembarkation...we were given a notification in our cabin the night before, to please be out of our cabin by 9:00 and meet other suite and FTTF guests in a bar. We left our cabin, went up to the bar and the people already there were being funneled out to disembark! We were at the car and loading our luggage by 9:30!!! No waiting, just breezed thru customs...incredible. We also enjoyed getting the first tender to Half Moon Cay to be the first to scope out chaise lounges. The crew was wonderful...to the person. A few were exceptional....Arnel, Iputu and Irham in the main dining room couldn't have been sweeter, more helpful and fun! Nicolae in the Alchemy Bar, right outside the main dining room remembered our drinks from the very first drink, and always...with a smile...gave us excellent service. Very talented bar tender. Sanye, who just started the week of our cruise, was very good, very helpful and anxious to be of any help. The food in the dining room was delicious and I gained 7 pounds on the cruise...will have to send a complaint letter on that...though I suspect it was my own fault! The Cheers Beverage program was worth every penny! We stressed about it beforehand because of some reviews like...you have to wait five minutes between drinks, service is slow in the dining room, you only get fifteen drinks per day....all ridiculous in our experience...it takes longer than five minutes to drink a drink unless you're getting shots, we always were served quickly, and we got our moneys worth with the approximately 8 drinks per person per day we had...particularly with regard to the French champagne we got at the Alchemy Bar, which sells for $11.95 a glass. We started off the morning with Bellini's or Bloody Mary from the Atrium Bar and then proceeded to breakfast in the dining room most days...prefer being waited on, with a definite table rather than getting a tray, finding a seat. There were issues...this trip wasn't all good. We have NEVER and were appalled by the filthy windows all over the ship! I don't mean dirty, I mean filthy and never once cleaned. Gross. Photos from the staterooms, or anywhere thru a window were ugly because of it. The ship is showing wear and tear....rust spots, worn spots on furniture, chunks of sculptural elements were left, rugs spotted. The ship, as I understand, is going into drydock this fall or next and it's ready for that. The stop at Freeport...unless you're a shopper...is as other reviewers have said...a waste. We stayed on the ship...my sister in law, however, loved all the shops right off the ship...it's all about what matters to you. The comedians were very funny....do as people have suggested and get there a half hour early to get a good seat...or any seat! That's about it...we found we prefer not having a couple days in a row at sea...prefer a day at sea, a day on an island, etc...but having to travel from Baltimore, you have no choice. Oh, one other thing...this ship is FAST....we enjoyed the movement of the boat. Have fun.. you're blessed to have a vacation like this. Read Less

We decided to try Carnival Pride since it leaves from Baltimore and its only a An hour and half from where we live. Embarkation and parking was not so bad it went somewhat smooth. The ship is very dark and smells like an ash tray. We got a a cabin on eight deck with a balcony that was okay room was always kept clean that was the only plus I found on the ship. Now about what happened Dining was a horrible the food on the 9th floor breakfast was cold how can you eat cold runny eggs yuk!!! Breakfast in the main dinning room was okay. But the people who receive you when you enter to eat on deck to aft always had and attitude and the service was awful. No to mention the people on this cruise were also nasty and very rude there was a lot going on with the guess they have no respect the older people Some idiot tried to trip my husband and and some bimbo pushed me out of the way to get a seat at that comedy show which was horrible, that cause me a sprain ankle and it still swollen. There was also some racial tension notice. I did not like this ship at all. The entertainment was terrible all of it. When we got to Grand Turks I was happy being there and another time. Going to Half Moon Cay and Freeport, was okay. I will never go on Carnival Pride or any Carnival Ship ever again. The Dinner was terrible and that stupid dance while your eating sucks. Never Never Never! When we reached port in Baltimore as soon as the called carry your own luggage floors we didn't wait for our floor we got off with the first floor they called. Worst cruise I ever had. Read Less