For my 23rd Cruise we took the Carnival Pride out of Long Beach to the Mexican Riviera with my wife (20th cruise) and granddaughter Marissa 11 (first cruise). I had cruised on the Carnival Festivale back in 1981 when they were just getting started.

We have cruised all over the world (Mediterranean, Caribbean, Southeast Asia, Indian Ocean, South Pacific, Southeast Asia) but usually in smaller ships. This was our first large ship. I have been cruising on and off for 30 years and at 64 I no longer hit the late night buffet and disco like I once did.

We were pleasantly surprised by the Pride as it is a great ship: fast, surprisingly not crowded, interesting decor, if a little garish in the artwork, and plenty of places to hide from the 2500+ passengers that were aboard. Read more