Choose Your Cruise Wisely

First time on Carnival Pride.  Ship is dark and not what you would expect for a Caribbean vacation. Rooms were nice.  Had a balcony which was a great amenity.  Always hot water in the roomy bathroom. Staff was great. Food was good, although breakfast became monotonous. Never changed. It was hard to get a seat in the adult pool area. Folks would put their towel on a chair at 7 am and keep it there all day, even if they weren't in the pool.  Drinks were expensive and mediocre. You would think you would get a piece of pineapple, or some kind of fruit, in a $10 tropical drink, but you did not.  The casino does not have a "no smoking" section so if you are not a smoker, it's not fun.  I don't think they should make it non smoking, but have two separate areas would be nice. This is why I say "choose your cruise wisely"....  First stop was Grand Turk - it was TOTALLY AWESOME.  But we were only there for a few hours.  I believe we got in at 7 am and had to get back on the boat by 1 pm.  7 am??? for a beach stop????  All that time on the ship and only a few hours in this beautiful port. Makes me want to go back there on my own.  2nd stop was Half Moon Cay - another absolutely beautiful place to be - but again....way too short and started very early.  Not exactly the perfect beach time. Back on the boat in no time.  3rd stop was Freeport, Bahamas.  What a joke! I can't believe they would even consider this a vacation port.  It was like a maintenance stop for the boat and NOTHING for the vacationers.  They used the port to refuel, get maintenance done, wash decks and windows, do an emergency drill for the crew, etc. It was awful! And I'm not exaggerating. To include that as a destination port is quite the joke. There wasn't enough time to actually do a real excursion and see the island.  The people who did that I spoke with said it was a huge rip off.  Did I have a lousy time - no.... I made the most of it.  But I was hugely disappointed in the fact that the two magnificent stops - Grand Turks and Half Moon Cay - were not nearly long enough to make up for the 3rd pathetic stop at Freeport.  Choose your cruise wisely.  Make sure you are in port long enough to enjoy the cruise. And steer away from Freeport.  Docking in your port at 7 am is not ideal - especially when you are on vacation.  Last thing you want to do is wake up at 5 am and battle everyone for breakfast and hit the beach at 7 am!!!  I don't think I would do a Carnival Cruise or this itinerary again.  But I would cruise again!