Carnival Pride Review
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Additional details
This was my first Carnival cruise (my 7th cruise overall); I chose it mainly because of the convenience of sailing from Baltimore (conveniently close to my home in Washington). I traveled solo. The timing worked out well--the cruise took place after a major snow storm so it was nice to get away for a week.
This was definitely a family cruise crowd. Most people on board seemed to be traveling with family members. There were a lot of children and a lot of multi-generation family groups. (Some comments by staff gave me the impression that there were more children than usual-this was the President's Birthday weekend and apparently New York schools had a weeklong break, so there were a lot of New Yorkers and kids.) The make-up of the passengers: younger than other cruises I have been on; besides the kids, there were a lot of young couples (20s-30s) and more 40-somethings than 50 or 60 year olds. In my mid-50s I was in the older group, but there were plenty my age and older than me so it really was a cruise for all ages. Passengers seemed to be mostly Americans--although there was a respectable Canadian contingent and I heard a lot of people speaking in Russian or some eastern European language and there was a large Asian contingent on one of my excursions, so there was some national diversity.
The ship itself is probably considered medium-sized. Definitely big, but not hard to get around. The decor was surprisingly dark--nothing like the bright colors of what I understand other Farcus-designed Carnival ships are like. The most predominant theme was Renaissance paintings and sculptures, so be forewarned (particularly if you are traveling with kids), plenty of tasteful nudes. I found it interesting, but the overall idea (as explained by the designer in a video shown on the cabin tv) was "icons of beauty" and led to lot of jarring contrasts--an Indian-style Taj Mahal main theater, a jockey and horse-racing inspired Winners Circle casino, and a 70s-style disco. Everything was spotless and well-maintained. No signs of wear and tear that I noticed. Overall a beautiful ship.
Cabin Review
Balcony
Cabin 8192 was right under the Lido deck and across from the stairs. There was no noise from the stairs or next-door cabins, but periodic rumbles from things being moved on the Lido deck. I did not find it disturbing--it was only as loud as very distant thunder at most. The balcony was nice with comfortable chairs (adjustable backs). Very convenient location for running up to the Lido; also right near the elevators and central stairs for quick trips down to the public rooms on decks 2 and 3. I would not hesitate to book this cabin again.