Great Service, Great Ports, Terrible Youth Program

Carnival Pride Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

nomilam

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 45

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Exotic Eastern Caribbean (Baltimore Roundtrip)

Sail date: April 05, 2015

Ship: Carnival Pride

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 1221

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 9 years ago

Review summary

This cruise was a great deal more crowded than the same one we took the week after easter last year. Service was still excellent from room stewards and waitstaff. I am continually impressed with the friendly and helpful staff aboard this ship. They did a fantastic job. The biggest disappointment for our family was that (traveling with our four kids) our oldest daughter, who recently turned 18 and is in her senior year of high school, was no longer allowed to take part in the youth programs but was clearly not old enough for a vast majority of adult activities, many of which include alcohol. She was lonely and bored for much of the cruise and this could have been so easily remedied by a few activities where the 18,19 and 20 year olds on board could meet each other and establish some friendships. The youth programs in general which were excellent and very engaging to all our kids the year before, were quite lackluster this time around. Most days the kids went to Camp Carnival or O2 only to drift back within the hour. There was just not the leadership and inclusive atmosphere this time around. The youth leaders were more apathetic and in the background. Other kids on board seemed to feel the same, because by the end of the cruise there were just vast crowds of roaming, bored adolescents everywhere being load, rude and sometimes dangerous. Obviously the youth programming hadn't really "grabbed" these kids either, as they preferred roaming the ship to whatever activities were provided. This was such a great change from last years youth program that it will really impact our decision to travel with Carnival again.