Background Information My good friend and I had talked about going on a cruise for the last couple of years. We finally decided to 'jump-in' and book the Mexican Riviera cruise on the Carnival Pride. We had basically decided on the cruise before visiting our travel agent, but she seemed to agree that it was a good choice for us - there were three of us total, ranging in age from 26 to 30.

Prior to Sailing Before sailing, we contacted Carnival a couple of times via email. Our questions ranged from whether or not they served Coke Zero (they don't) to how Early Check-In on the Queen Mary works. One email never received a response and another received a very dry, incomplete response. As for the question about the Early Check-In, we were told to call Carnival's toll-free number for an answer. After two calls to their call center, the best answer we could get was that early check-in is technically for VIPs, but that if we show up early they will help us, too. Ultimately, we found Carnival's customer service on the pre-travel side to be very lacking.

Embarkation We did decide to show up around 10 a.m. even though our documents stated not to arrive before 12:30. We were dropped off at the port by friends and checked our bags with a porter. We then walked to the Queen Mary engine room area where the Carnival early check-in is located. The agent who helped us was very friendly and the process went smoothly and quickly. She thanked us for completing the Fun Pass in advance since it "helps a lot." We then spent the next couple of hours wandering the Queen Mary and purchased breakfast. I wish that the Queen Mary and Carnival would be more intentional about this opportunity - it could create happier passengers for Carnival and generate revenue for the cash-starved Queen Mary. We walked over to the former Spruce Goose dome around noon and waited in a relatively short Boarding Group A line and before we knew it, we were on the ship. Once onboard, nobody ever said "Welcome Aboard" - they simply scanned our Sail and Sign card and we were left on our own to explore. Read more