If you like to drink, gamble and listen to dirty comedy then Carnival is the cruise line for you. We were fairly disappointed in the entertainment choices on board. The scheduling did not seem to flow as easily as we've encountered on other ships/lines. Dinner and the evening shows (whether early or late) always conflicted w/the pool side movie time and the family friendly comedy was only offered at 7 or 7:30pm which was never workable with having dinner in the main diving room unless you chose to eat very late. All the later comedy choices were considered "Adult/18+". Apparently Carnival doesn't realize that some adults do not enjoy that type of entertainment. Also, the shows and talent were really a step down for others we've seen on other lines. David, in the piano bar, was awesome and provided a nice alternative to dirty comedy and a smoke-filled casino.

The Pride was coming out of dry dock and we expected an almost brand new, spanking clean ship. That was not the case. Only some of the common areas had been redone...the state rooms, although they had ample closet/shelves/storage space, were disappointingly worn. Old TVs, old carpet, and unfortunately our balcony door did not seal right and whistled for 2 nights unless we left it open a crack, which affected our air conditioning. Maintenance finally seemed to get it fixed but left sharp metal shavings all over our balcony which felt like broken glass when I stepped out onto it. We received an apology. We were told that all the beds had been replaced with new ones, but we found them very hard and uncomfortable and we did not sleep well the entire cruise. Also, my husband uses a CPAP machine and there is no outlet anywhere near the bed. The ship provided us with a long extension cord which we had to stretch across the room and be careful to avoid tripping over if we got up during the night to use the bathroom.

Overall, the food variety was lacking in the Lido buffet, especially in the late afternoons and evenings. Also, food trays were not available at all of the food stations so we often found ourselves searching for trays, and the drink cups provided at all drink stations were WAY too small. Guy's Burgers, pool side, was great! Too bad the Taco/Burrito bar was never open when we wanted a quick bite in the later afternoon so we never even got to give it a try but we heard from others that it was good. One of the upgrades was the new Serenity Spa outdoor pool & deck area which was really a nice option to escape the partiers and loud music at the main pool. However, the first day all of the cushions were filthy with some sort of soot and small black specks all over the lounge chair pads so we had to clean them before we could even use them. Also, no pool towels available before 8am, so if you want to sit on the deck and watch the sunrise you will need to bring a towel from your room or keep one from the day before. Sadly, none of the hot tubs were ever really hot either, just barely warm and disappointing. The Salsa, Salsa and Marguerita excursion was excellent and really fun for the price. However, the other 2 excursions I purchased were lacking, especially the provided lunch with was really sub par for most cruise line excursions that include a meal. We traveled with a large group of friends, most of which went for scuba diving, so we enjoyed the cruise, but otherwise it would be far from my first choice when cruising again. The crew could do a better job of providing port and disembarking information but were friendly and helpful for the most part and were a bright spot in our overall opinion.