Great Time

Carnival Pride Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 15

Overall rating:

5 out of 5
Carnival Pride

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Baltimore Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 19, 2016

Ship: Carnival Pride

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 4161

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

This was our fifth  cruise but first on Carnival. We were worried that it wouldn't be up to Royal Caribbean standards but were presently surprised. First we really liked the casual dining (Mermaid Lounge). It is set up like a food court with different stations for different  types of food (Deli, grill, Italian, Carribean, etc). This made it very easy to find what you wanted and to try different types of food each day. We also enjoyed the dinners in the main dining room (Normandie). The food and service was excellent. The staff made an effort to learn our names and likes and the food was always served quickly and hot. We went to the main show each evening and thought the talent level was up to par with what you would see at a major city dinner theater which is to say quite good. We also liked the comedy club. It was a nice space and the fact that they did both family and adult shows allowed us to take the kids to a couple shows. During gaps in the day I enjoyed going to the Red Frog Pub and playing foosball and shuffleboard with the kids while enjoying a nice cold pint of Thirsty Frog. The small splash zone was fun although the large green slide was broken most of the week and we never got a chance to go down it. Playing miniature golf in a 50 mph wind was also an interesting experience. The ports of call were all very good. Grand Turk was amazing in that the snorkeling was great right off the beach, and the beach is right off the ship pier. We bring our own snorkeling gear so we basically snorkeled for 4 hours for free. The stop in Freeport was too quick (8:00 AM to 1:30), but we took a private taxi to Banana Bay beach and had the entire beach to ourselves. All in all Carnival did and excellent job, and I'd recommend definitely recommend it.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Service was friendly and prompt at dinner Never had to wait for casual dining at breakfast and lunch

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
Could use some on deck shuffleboard, and more corn hole stations. Large slide was broken most of week, one basketball hoop was broken Gym area was excellent. Machines were in good repair and it never was too crowded

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Children's Programs

3 out of 5
Childrens area is very small. Kids didn't spend much time there.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
We had 4 in room, 11 year old twin daughters One couch bed with a pull down bed above it, and the king bed for the wife and I Plenty of closet and drawer space. Loved the balcony

Ship tip

Buying the first to fun option is worth it Didn't need passports for Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay, or Freeport Use a private taxi to get around Freeport

Ports of call

Baltimore, Maryland

5 out of 5

Grand Turk Island

5 out of 5

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island)

5 out of 5

Freeport, Grand Bahama Island

5 out of 5
Was this review helpful? 15

3 Comments

laylamsabold    8 years ago

You definitely chose a good ship to go on for your first time on Carnival. In 19 more days it will be our 3rd time on carnival pride,we enjoy it every time. Along with many other ships.

Deniseg    8 years ago

I wonder that as well as I have my 9th Carnival cruise booked.

bfugett    8 years ago

I appreciate this review. We've been on two cruises, both carnival, and were pleased, but have always wondered how they compare with other lines.

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