First Time on Carnival

Item: Carnival Pride
Rating: 4
Author: hillmoorpete

Carnival Pride Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern

hillmoorpete

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 83

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

11 Night Southern Caribbean Carnival Journeys (Baltimore To San Juan)

Sail date: January 17, 2016

Ship: Carnival Pride

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 5121

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

Our experience with sailing for the first time on Carnival was pretty good overall. The Pride was clean and up to date. Our stateroom was larger and more comfortable than what we have had with Royal Caribbean. The 11 day Southern Caribbean cruise was good value. However, Carnival apparently doesn't place much emphasis on making the customer feel noticed and valued. Royal Caribbean has an employee recognition program that is meaningful both to the employees and cruisers. With the exception of our room steward, no attempt was made by any of the staff to make us feel like something other than cattle in the shute. On the positive side, Carnival doesn't deserve an across the board reputation as a non stop party boat. The clientele on this cruise had an average age of 50 something and entertainment and activities were tailored accordingly. We'd definitely sail on Carnival again, but continue to prefer Royal Caribbean for a better overall experience.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Cost cutting is reflected in lower quality cuts of meat and little seafood. There was a decent variety of choices - burgers, burritos, pizza for snacking. The steak house was top notch.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Again - cost cutting meant no ship's band(s), and well intentioned but limited variety in entertainment in the main lounge.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

See comments above. 95% indifferent service.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Loved the room, didn't care for being directly above the main theater (Taj Mahal).

Ports of call

Baltimore, Maryland

5 out of 5

Grand Turk Island

5 out of 5

The beaches just to the west of the ship are some of the best in the Caribbean. Worth the walk.

Thumbs Up 1

Oranjestad, Aruba

5 out of 5

Water clarity is not great for scuba, but wreck diving opportunity is still good.

Thumbs Up 0

Willemstad, Curacao

5 out of 5

Scuba through scubacao was terrific. Shore dives to coral reefs were spectacular.

Thumbs Up 3

Bonaire, Netherlands Special Municipality

5 out of 5

Our favorite port on this trip. Clean, nice vibe, no hassles, great diving.

Thumbs Up 2

Frederiksted, St. Croix, U.S.V.I.

5 out of 5

San Juan, Puerto Rico

5 out of 5

Consider staying on for a couple of days to see the island. Check airbnb for great deals.

Thumbs Up 2

2 Comments

uketasha 8 years ago

Yeah the rooms on the Grandeur were a lot smaller than any Carnival ship I've been on and I paid extra money for a "large interior." I've always felt taken care of on all lines of cruising-ncl, rc and carnival

Thumbs Up 0

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enjoyurdaysmile 8 years ago

We were on Grandeur of the Seas last yr and the crew was great and friendly. I was not feeling well the day after the ship was rocking and rolling. I went to the buffet for breakfast and still was sick. Nicola who was the hostess for the buffet helped me. I told her to look for my husband and found him. In the meantime, I asked the Chef to please get me a green apple. It worked and it was as if I never was sick. Yes, the crew I must say is friendly and helpful. People in general think it is easy to work on a ship.

Thumbs Up 1

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Other reviews of this sailing

January journeys cruise

Carnival Pride - Jan 17

Good value for the price