My family sailed on the Carnival Pride February 17 departure out of Long Beach. Susan Greenawalt's review on here really nailed the essentials: the weather was downright chilly and the ship itself was excellent, although "blah in color."

I'll admit it. I have a huge chip on my shoulder when it comes to Carnival as a cruise line and I think it goes back to Kathy Lee Gifford singing "if your friends could see you now." I always go cruising so my friends CAN'T see me and have nothing to prove about income, status or the way I choose to enjoy a vacation. Carnival had always fostered an ad campaign of "the Fun Ships" and I had always avoided them because I wasn't going to be forced to have fun. I also felt that Carnival was a notch below other mass market cruise lines and perhaps too glitzy and conspicuous for my tastes.

But you know what? For a guy who wanted to have his suspicions confirmed and find fault with Carnival I was impressed. I have a five-year-old and this wound up being our third cruise on Carnival. He loved the kid's activities, there was a great blend of family and adult entertainment and plenty of wonderful menu choices for kids. The dining options were good, I had no complaints about the availability or quality of food. The sandwich bar, sushi and non-stop pizza were nice additions. Carnival offers a great product, impeccable ships and service and it's impossible for me to criticize anything about their cruise experience given their extremely reasonable prices. Read more