We like to cruise out of Baltimore for the easy access for us We leave a day early and stay at the Best western O'Donnell st great transfers and easy boarding food was very good great service as always only real complaint was the flys at Princess cay at the food area HORRIBLE need to do something about it people just tossing there food out Having platinum status sure makes life easy Carnival really takes care of you from perks to early boarding to first off the ship nice job Carnival The entertainment in the main showroom needs help need to get some jugglers or magicians some thing other then the dancers couple shows were good first two of the week stunk you could tell by how empty the venue was Comedy shows were good around the ship entertainment was good nice job from the cruise director. The band Beast from the east was very good and so was will terri guitar slolist The late night deck party's had major cut backs pretty lame and the chocolate Buffett has gone down hill Ship was supper clean Crewe was great all around a great time going back next year Read Less

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We chose the Pride because we wouldn't have to fly to cruise. This is my 4th cruise and second with Carnival (previous Alaska on Legend). This is a nice ship overall although I can't compare to a megaship, I found the size reasonable. I was pushing my mother in a wheelchair around the ship and it was very easy. The casino was on the small size and too tight with winning! but still had fun giving them my money..lol. We didn't attend all the shows but enjoyed the ones we did go to -it's not broadway but the singing and dancing was very good. The food in the main dining room was good and we always had excellent service. We did eat at the steakhouse one night and besides our snooty waitor, the food was SOOO good! My mother used the spa and tried every massage available, hot stone was her favorite. She used the same massuese and really loved her. We went to Garden of the Groves excursion in Freeport and it was fantastic- great guides and beautiful garden. We also went on the glass bottom boat excursion in Princess cay as well as the coastal cruise excursion in the afternoon and enjoyed them both- same boat. The organization after getting off the tender was poor and confusing but we made it to the excursion. On the ship, The drinks run $8-12 a piece but unless you drink a ton, the drink package is not worth it. Drinks are free in casino after 1500 points earned. Seas were a bit rough but I use the prescription patch and highly recommend it, I wasn't sea sick at all. I enjoy cruising and carnival is a fun atmosphere. We went spring break so there were tons of kids, lots of families. Seemed like there was plenty of activities for all ages. I am already booked for the Pride in the fall. Read Less

i sailed the Pride twice. i booked the 2nd time for the itinerary as well as for the Chinese buffet where i ate lunch every day. the convenience of driving to Baltimore (5 hours for us) was much easier than a 3 1/2 hour drive to the Philly airport, getting there early, 2 hour flight to Florida or 3 1/2 hours to Puerto Rico, etc. Parking in Baltimore is right there at the pier. the Pride is just the right size ship for me and my wife. the Alchemy Bar is conveniently located just outside from the Normandie (Main) Dining Room and the bartenders know how to make a great Martini as well as the bartenders at the Renaissance Lobby Bar. bar service while lounging around the pool is frequent and quick. just as every other ship there are chair hogs who put out towels or personal belongings early in the morning and show up about noon and expect the chairs top be theirs. the pool attendants take care of that, though. Read Less

We chose Pride because it was within a six hour drive from home and booked a month out hoping for a bit of warmth in the Bahamas. The ship is unique, a bit old fashioned in a Grecian Italian decor, we thought maybe it was built for the European market. Boarding was easy, our room was lovely although a bit tired, an obstructed veranda unusual in size with more storage than we could use. Built in 2001 she was aging well and due an update in April, we were pleased thus far. Ports were not our choice, we heard they will not be returning to Port Canaveral and that is just fine with me. We enjoy ship life and relaxation and usually get off to take a walk. Food was better than we hoped, we liked the food court choices for breakfast and lunch and had a really good table at early dinner. Maitre d' and our head waiter were the best. Nothing to do with the ship or the company, I have to say "it was cold" strong north winds blowing every day. That was circumstantial but kept everyone indoors. The passengers were mostly a younger group, perhaps the drink packages made things a bit rowdy at times, early to bed, early to rise was our motto. Biggest negative overall was smoking in the casino, it wasn't even segregated,,,,we found smoking machines right next to non-smoking and not very well policed at times. Saved us a bit off money by staying away. It had been 35 years since our last Carnival Cruise in 1983 on Mardi Gras, we were pleasantly surprised but agree that it is for a much younger crowd. Read Less

We chose this cruise because it was in driving distance from our home. Getting to the port and parking was a breeze! We had priority so embarkation was quick and easy as well. Our cabin was nice, however the fan was on constantly in the dressing area and was so loud I could not hear my husband talking to me as I was getting ready. The room steward, Ronito was excellent! On to the negatives... Yes, the first couple of days the weather was not the greatest, this can not be blamed on Carnival. However, I do feel like this trip should be an 8 day instead of a 7 day to give you time to get back to Baltimore without going so fast the whole boat is shaking. I have been on smaller ships that did not shake or vibrate as much as this one. We were traveling at about 24 knots most of the time. We ended up only going to the Dinning Room 3 or 4 nights, which is a shame because I enjoy the experience. This ship only has 1 main dinning room, which created long waits for both reserved and anytime dining. I'm not sure if the Dinning Room was understaffed or if it was a training issue, but the service was not up to par. The food also was not very good, it either came over-cooked, under-cooked, or ice cold. On this cruise we decided not to do any shore excursions, that was a big mistake! Port Canaveral- It cost $15 per person for a shuttle to Cocoa Beach, the highlight of which was breakfast at IHop and a round of mini-golf. I suggest skipping this area if it is not nice enough weather to go to the beach. Nassau was ok, we walked around town a bit, and visited the pirate museum. It is very expensive here (4 drinks =$50.00). Freeport - This port is a waste of time and money. You are stuck at the little port unless you want to pay $40 for a cab to the city that is 25 minutes away. All of the vendors have the exact same items and can be seen in 15 minutes. From what I understand of others that did the beach excursions, it is all pretty much the same beach just different packages. Overall, we are not sure will go back on this cruise. Read Less

I was part of a group of 53 (yes fifty three!) people who sailed in September on the pride. Our cruise was diverted to Canada instead of the Bahamas due to all the hurricanes hitting. We were offered to either cancel and be fully refunded or still go and they would give us 25% off our next one. We chose to go and this cruise was our 25% off one. I will begin by stating that September was my 5th cruise but 1st time with Carnival and I was NOT impressed. Every bar was shut down by 11 pm except the casino and the dance club but both of those were smoking and the ventilation did not appear to be working. I do not smoke and can normally handle a decent amount but these two areas were almost suffocating with smoke. We had a few in our group who were extremely sensitive to it and they couldn't even sit in the main atrium that was next to the Casino because it was lingering around. The pools were ice cold until our last day but the most disappointing was the hot tubs - they were barely even luke warm for the entire trip. I knew before we went that if we purchased the Cheers package we would be limited to 15 drinks a day. My general complaint is that they state it is for safety purposes, however someone who does not have the Cheers package is able to order as many drinks as they possibly want. I feel like it should be a 15 drink limit for all OR allow those who have the Cheers package to purchase additional drinks after the limit. (For those who are not aware if you purchase the Cheers package and swipe your card for 15 drinks, they will not allow you to purchase ANY more drinks until 6 am the next day. I also tried to pay for an extra shot of rum in my pina colada and they said since I had cheers I couldn't, I would have to order the pina colada, wait 5 min, then order a shot of rum to pour on top and use 2 of my drinks. I wasnt able to pay for any) My other problem was with activities on Carnival. There didn't seem to be much during the day besides trivia and bingo. All the "fun" activities such as dance parties, shows, comedians, etc. were all at the same time at night and many times overlapped while we were at dinner (we did the late seating 8:15). On my other cruises they would offer arts and crafts and other things throughout the day to keep people entertained. I also still don't understand why they do the comedians in the Butterflies lounge. The seats fill up really fast and we could never make a show when coming from dinner. We had a balcony for the first time in September and while I enjoyed being able to go outside, our balcony and chairs were very dirty. In our first port they even announced they would be cleaning the balconies off but ours remained dirty for the rest of the trip. Fast forward to March: We decided to use the 25% off and book a "cheap" cruise back on the Pride. We had a group of 7 this time and I will say that I was impressed at some of the changes I had noticed. My husband and I tried an inside room with french doors (Category 4k room 4115); It was a great way to get a lot of light in the room and we were able to open the doors to feel the temperature. I think it is definitely worth the savings if you can not afford a balcony. I personally did not care for the waiters singing and dancing every single night in the dining room. I liked on other cruises when it was only done 1 or 2x as something special. Dinner service took about an hour and a half from start to finish every night Embarkation was smooth and easy. Besides being close to port, this is one of the main reasons we continue to sail out of Baltimore. Once again we were only able to make it to one comedian (the first night). When we leave dinner at 945 we were unable to get a seat for the 1015 comedian because the space is so small and fills up so fast I noticed the ventilation was better in the smoking areas The activities were still sparse throughout the day. once again everything that seemed fun to do was at 9 10 or 11 at night. Ports: Port Canaveral: we took an Uber to ron Jons surf shop then walked across the street to the Florida Key Lime Pie company. We then walked 15-20 min north and hung out at the cocoa beach pier before taking the SCAT bus (1.50 a person) back towards the boat. we ate at Grills seafood restaurant and it was AMAZING!!! We tried their hurricane, margarita, and key lime colada. I had the fresh fish of the day (Mahi) which came with 2 sides and it was DELICIOUS and fresh. The prices were very reasonable, service was excellent, and I will definitely be going back one day. We then called for another uber to take us back to the ship Nassau: As this was my 3rd trip to nassau, we decided just to walk around the shops, stop in a few restaurants and bars to try local food and drinks. Another fun day Freeport: This was my first time in Freeport and I had heard lots of negative things about it. 5 from our group booked the island tour with brewery and perfume factory tours and they loved it. My husband and I ate breakfast and got off the ship at 9, walked around the market until almost 10 and decided to hang out at Fat Tuesdays and Senor frogs right off the boat. We were celebrating out 1 year wedding anniversary and we had fun! If you are looking for more to do than shops and bars then you definitely need to book an excursion Overall the weather was great, the seas were calm, I was pleasantly surprised at our room and some improvements on the ship. I think the Pride can use a good cleaning or remodel Read Less

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My husband and I just returned from a 7-night Bahamas cruise on the Carnival Pride, which was an excellent cruise. This was our third cruise, second on Carnival, but our first cruise since December 2012 (nothing against cruising, we were just busy doing other kinds of vacations). Two of the main reasons chose the Carnival Pride was because of its departure port of Baltimore (only an 8-hour drive from our house so we didn't have to fly anywhere) and the size of the ship (we had previously been on Carnival Dream and felt it was hectic and crowded all the time). Overall it was an excellent cruise, and I will discuss some of the features we liked, as well as a couple of things we felt could have been improved. First I will talk about the ship in general. Of course with the ship being a little older, there were some areas that seemed a little run down. The outside of the boat needs a new paint job (especially when we saw it next to the new Norwegian Breakaway when we were in Nassau). But despite that and a few signs of wear and tear (some cracked tiles in the buffet area), the ship is in good condition. What's more, is that everything is very clean! The hardworking staff was everywhere I was, always cleaning and keeping things looking very tidy. I was very impressed with the cleanliness of the common areas. Now to some specifics of our sailing. We sailed from March 11th-18th, having two sea days, followed by a day at Princess Cay, Nassau and Freeport. Then one sea day home and getting in around 8:30, although we didn't get off the boat until close to 11:30 because there were only 2-3 customs agents at any given moment which was ultra aggravating, but not Carnival's fault. We also chose to park at the port since we had such a long drive back, and this was the absolute best decision since most other people who did a park and cruise situation with a hotel nearby seemed to have to wait even longer. Next, I'd like to speak to some specific staff who wowed us, and some who could use a little improvement. - Cruise Director- Leigh: We said it to his face, but he's the best cruise director we've ever had. I told this to a relative when we came home, but he is the exact right combination of hilarious, sarcastic and borderline inappropriate that everyone wants in a cruise director. He was always that right mix of dialogue that parents appreciated when their kids were around but that all adults were able to read right through. It was perfect. Leigh was funny, charismatic and honest. I honestly cannot think of one thing to say about him that is constructive. I just feel sad that he won't be on a cruise with him in the near future. - Room Steward- Victoria: I know I started out this review saying how I hadn't been on a cruise in over five years, but I can't imagine someone better than her before. She was so friendly. Victoria introduced herself the first night, asking us when we wanted our room serviced ( morning, evening or both). Although I had remembered hearing about the cutbacks at Carnival where the room stewards wouldn't come both times in the day automatically, I forgot this when she asked and foolishly said morning. Upon reflection, I remembered reading about this cutback in a blog, and we later left Victoria a note asking for both times in the day. She obliged. And was great. Everything was spotless. When we had the issue with the whistling door, it was dealt with by the time we came back after dinner even though we left her a note and saw her in the hallway on the way out. I don't know what else to say that explains how great she was. I hope this review is reflected in her promotion track. - Main Dining Room Staff- Agus (main waiter), Lamberto (waiter), Tiur (waitress)- Overall this staff was excellent. Agus led his small team magnificently. Agus even started noticing what our preferences were and began suggesting items we might like and even brought us extra entrees to share when we were unsure what we wanted. Agus was slightly shy with us at first, and I can entirely understand why. I think this crew dealt with a lot of slobby tourists who don't respect the hard workers on this cruise. On the last night, one insulting person literally tossed their plate on the floor after a loud band on the table. In 12 years of international travel, I had never seen anything so disgusting and I was shocked someone would actually act like that. But the staff was so professional and I was blown away. Thank goodness for the patience of this team. Agus was really good. Tiur is obviously newer in the role but I think when her confidence in English gets better she'll improve. Lamberto needs a bit of practice before he's promoted, his demeanour was a little cold overall. - Armen- Booze guy in the dining room: Armen greeted my husband and each time he brought us a drink with a joke. He started becoming a familiar face week looked forward to seeing every night. - Elin- the Female bartender in the atrium bar- We didn't see this bartender everytime we were in the atrium, but I wish we had. She noticed multiple time that we were back and remembered what we wanted from previous nights. She was great. The Liberty Trio- I started planning my nightly activities around seeing these ladies. They were excellent. They are incredibly talented, and they seemed to be one of the only musical acts on board playing very current music. I just loved them. I'd book another cruise based on them being on the ship alone. The Absolute Duo- This act is also excellent. They remind me of an act straight out of the 60s in the best way possible. They're very talented and played all the classic hits I would expect them to. DJ Chef Shur- This DJ is pretty good. I was impressed with the way that he kept the energy on the lido deck fun and upbeat. He even rolled with the punches when this Asian woman was continually dancing when he was there (what's her deal!?) But as the week went on, I felt like he played the same songs over and over again, and none of them were more recent than three or four years ago. When we went to Beauties one night, it was supposed to be all request, but every song we requested he cut the song off short and went back to some old song I'd heard 20 times that week. He needs to get some new stuff in his repertoire. Real Spice Carribean Sounds- I wish there had been more opportunities for this band to play around the ship. The steel drum player is particularly talented. I often sought them out in the afternoon, and I really enjoyed listening to them. Spa staff: I don't recall the name of the person who did my spa treatment, but overall they were good. The only thing I will say is that when I was getting my hot stone massage, at one point the person was using only one hand, and I could tell they were doing something else like looking at their phone. It was a little weird. Maybe the staff could be reminded that they need to keep their personal communications to after a treatment. The Fun Squad: Overall I liked the fun crew. They were all friendly. They all ran the trivia in their own way which I liked. I didn't get to know any of them too much, but they were fun. Jess was super fun but the whole "Oh Yes Jess" thing has a weirdly sexual vibe which I found off-putting around the kids. Neil also had a little bit of a funny vibe, but I think he could improve that being more outgoing and polishing his physical appearance (tucking in his shirt, shorter haircut). Theatre performers: I didn't catch too many shows, but the 80's one I saw the whole thing and I loved it. All the performers were really good. I hate to describe them like this, but I don't know their names, so I have to explain the way they look. The black male dancer was particularly talented- I hope they keep him for a long time. The female dancer with the brown hair was also so good- my eyes were always on her because she was the best one. The principal singers were good, but I think they could all use just a little more practice. Still, I really enjoyed the shows I saw, and the final show with the lip sync battle and pulling the kids up from the kid's club was the best. Other food, drink and service other than dinner at main dining room: Most of the food I had on board was excellent. David's Steakhouse on the first night was excellent. Best steak I've had in a long time. Honestly, Guy's burgers were just okay, not what I've heard people rave about. The burgers always seemed overdone. The taco bowl at Blue Iguana was great but the eggs in the morning were even better. I didn't eat at the buffet much, but I liked how many fun themed food there were on St. Patrick's day. That was a nice touch. The wine selection in the main dining room and at the atrium bar was good. I got drinks at both the Red Rub Bar and the Tequilla bar were always pretty weak honestly. Not worth the price I paid. The one time I went to the martini bar I had the WORST bartender ( I don't know his name, but he was also the bartender at the drink mixing contest on the lido deck). He took honestly, no joke, 25 minutes to make my drink and he was super rude to not only me but other customers. I didn't go back to that bar the entire trip because of that guy. Complaints: - In general, although the food was good, we felt like there was way too much emphasis on meat and carbs. One night we ordered broccoli to come with our dinner, and they gave us TWO pieces. I'm sure veggies are less expensive for the company than meat! Increase the number of vegetables you're serving. - On St. Patrick's day, I wanted to join the pub crawl, but since we had the late seating and there was the plate flipping incident (see above), we missed the start of it. We were able to catch up to them at the second venue, and even though we were willing to pay the whole price although we had missed the first drink, they wouldn't let us join! How does this make sense? You refused our money and ruined my fun for the night. I don't know who's policy this was, but it made for a sour end to my otherwise excellent cruise. - We paid for the most expensive internet package because both my husband and I needed it for work and school, and it was so horrible. Barely worked from the beginning of the week and only got worst. It was so bad we asked for a refund and were thankfully promised one, but it hasn't come through yet. Overall, this was a great cruise. I'm going to have a hard time going back to a bigger ship. I would go on the Pride again in a heartbeat. ***Full disclosure, I also shared all of this information with Carnival directly, which is why I feel comfortable sharing the names of the staff members I've included in this review.*** Read Less

We chose to leave from Baltimore so we did not have to fly. The port is 4.5 hours from our house. It was easy to navigate the port. We chose to park at the port and sped $105 for the week in parking so we could easily get to our home and get on the highway quickly. We embarked on time. The first day was a little disappointing as it took forever for our room to be ready and even longer for our luggage to arrive so we had to hang around for awhile before we were off exploring. The first night was great but the weather was cool. Guys Burgers was perfect for a quick bite on our first nite. The first full day was full of exploring. We found trivia at the Red Frog that we would attend every evening for the rest of the week. The host, Naughty Neil was a hoot! Although this evening was a formal evening, we ended up eating at the buffet because we were having a rough evening at sea due to a Nor'easter that was coming off land into the ocean. IT WAS ROUGH. At this point, I seriously wondered if I would be able to make it the next 6 days but the next day was smooth sailing for the rest of the trip. The entertainment crew was great but got tired of OH YES Jess very quickly. Day 2 and 3 we participated in several activities provided by the ship including the trivia. There was a Hasbro game that we watched and the comedy shows were funny throughout. We were able to buy alcohol on the ship for very cheap that they store for you until debarktion. This was the first time we ate in the main dining room and the food was amazing! Every meal that we had in the MDR thereafter was 5 star plus! Day 4 was our day at Princess Cays. was the least favorite of the 3 places we visited. The buffet lunch they provided was very average, maybe less than average and the sugary alcohol drinks did not seem to have any alcohol. All activities on the island cost including using the lockers. The one thing I liked about this island is that since it is owned by the cruise line you are able to use your sign and sail card for purchases and not have to keep up with cash and credit cards. You do have to take a tender to this destination which was somewhat unorganized. When booking my next cruise, I will find one that does not stop at this destination. Day 5 - we spent at Nassau. This was a fun stop. We went to the aquarium at Atlantis. The tour was organized and the driver gave us a nice description of everything we were seeing and a brief history of the island. Every thing at Atlantis is extremely overpriced so if you need a snack or water, bring it with you. An ice cream cone was $14. The aquarium was nice and very clean and we were given a tour an was educated about each species as we were seeing them. After the aquarium, we spent sometime in downtown Nassau. Be prepared for everyone to be hassling you about braiding your hair, taxis, and cigars. We spent some time at Tortuga and ended up buying some rum and rum cakes. Since it was legal to drink in public we bought some local Sands beers while shopping. Day 6- This was by far the most fun stop. We chose an excursion that was a private beach tour where you could have all the food and alcohol you wanted. The worst part about this excursion was that it only lasted from 8-1. We rented paddle boards which were $20 for 1.5 hours. The servers were very attentive and our cups were never empty. There were a few that were unable to hold their liquor and made for an interesting ride back to the ship. Day 7- Sad day. Cruise is over. Announcements kept everyone informed. We made it back to port on time luckily but am ready to go again! We were in the vista suite 8 aft and never had any noise problems from the Lido. Read Less