I just returned from a week long cruise on the Carnival Pride out of Baltimore. I went with a group of eight 25-30 year olds and we were all a little nervous about cruising Carnival because of a bad reputation. We picked this cruise because we live within driving distance of Baltimore and the trip was a good price; however, in the weeks leading up to the cruise, people kept telling us that we would hate carnival, and we all got nervous. However, those fears were unfounded and everyone had an amazing time.

We were able to board early on day 1 (before noon I believe) and explore the ship. We were all upgraded to french door obstructed view rooms which were exactly how they sound! We had french doors which could open, but you really couldn't see anything except a life boat and a glimpse of water underneath. It was nice having natural light, and I felt that the room was a bit bigger, but I probably wouldn't pay money for this type of upgraded room. We got a towel animal in our room every night which was fun to return to. One morning, the mid pool deck was COVERED in towel animals. There were some floating on rafts in the pool and one on every chair. It was very fun to look around at all the different types.

One drawback of leaving out of Baltimore in April was that our first sea day (and also the last day returning home) was not very warm. We attempted to lay on the pool deck, but didn't come out of our shorts and t shirts. By the second sea day, though, it was blazing hot and very enjoyable. The ship was VERY nice. I've cruised on Royal Carribbean before, but I felt this ship was actually nicer. The adults only pool was super nice, but it was often hard to find a chair. The mid deck pool was a popular place both when the roof was covered and when it was retracted. There was often a DJ, deck activities, and of course food on that pool deck. Read more