We sailed on the Pride to the Mexican Riviera on Sunday, October 19, 2008. Overall, the one-week cruise was a very good experience, and one that we would take again.
Embarkation - Boarding the ship was smooth. We arrived at the Long Beach port early, before 11:00 a.m., and were directed to the Queen Mary for an early check-in. We waited in the early check-in group until about 11:30, when we were taken to the ship for boarding. The process was well-organized. Once aboard, about 11:45, we found our stateroom to be made up and ready for occupancy. We then ate lunch on the Lido deck 9.
The Ship - The Pride is a beautiful ship. It has a much different (and I think more elegant) decorative scheme than the Carnival Miracle or the Costa Atlantica which share the same floor plan. Public areas are beautiful , especially the main dining areas. The artwork on the ship, includes some nudity, but this is tastefully presented and was not offensive to us. This particular cruise drew a lot of children. For the most part they were well-behaved, but totally dominated the main pools and hot-tubs, making it nearly impossible for adults to use the pools comfortably. Adults had a pool and hot-tub on the far-aft end of the ship and a hot -tub in the spa they could use. The large number of children sometimes also contributed to longer lines in the buffet areas.