This was our 2nd cruise with Carnival. The first was on the Conquest. Compared to the Conquest, the Pride is a bit smaller in size. Despite the size difference the amenities seemed mostly the same.

We arrived at the port early (before 11am), and were able to par-take in the early check-in process. I highly recommended that anyone traveling on a cruise try and get in on the early check-in as it reduces the stress of getting on-board. On our first cruise we did not check-in early and waited in a line to check in for over 2 hours. So, with the early check-in there were no lines. We got our Sail and Sign cards right away. There was a short wait (till 12 noon) before we could board. Other than that it was clear sailing (pun intended) to get onboard. Since the rooms were not ready till 1:30 we hung out on the Lido deck and enjoyed the free sparkling wine until our room was ready.

For this cruise we had a Oceanview Balcony room about mid-ship. Room was what we expected, other than the hair we found on the bed spreads. Guess they were in a hurry to make the rooms, and did not take the extra care to make sure the bed spreads were clear of any debris. The cabin steward did take care of the issue, but it make us leery of what else was not changed out. We did not find anything else wrong with the room. Departure from shore was late due to late flight arrivals. Carnival held the ship up to allow the people arriving on the late flights to get on-board. Once we set sail, the seas were calm and we were off to our first port. Read more