There was a medical evacuation before we left Baltimore, which caused us to leave a little late. There was a second helicopter medical evacuation on Tuesday by the Coast Guard. Prayers to both families. We had a great time on the cruise to the Bahamas. The weather was great, the staff was pleasant and attentive, and looking forward to sailing on the Pride again.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Cruising out of Baltimore is a pretty smooth process. The staggered check in times really help. We spent about 20 minutes or so to go through the security line & screening, directed to check in counter, and then directly onto the ship.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Service in the MDR and on Lido were great. The food was good, but this time there was nothing by way of the food that stuck out. I love Sea Day Brunch; the salmon was good as always, but the mac & cheese was watery and tasteless. Love the tacos from Blue Iguana. Burgers from Guys were hit or miss; embarkation day it was overcooked, had 1 more later in the week and it was great. I also tried Bonsai Sushi on night instead one night instead of the MDR or Lido. The noodle salad and California roll were very good; prepared to order so it's not sitting around.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
No fitness center or spa this trip. The Serenity deck was nice, but crowded as usual.
The Winners' Club Casino
3 out of 5
The casino is small and rather smokey. A better ventilation system would be welcomed.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
There was a string trio that played in the Atrium and near the Alchemy Bar; I forgot their name, but they were great. The stage shows are good, but we've seen before. The parties on Lido were good, but the cool weather kept things from getting real lively.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Staff in general was very pleasant. Our room steward, Rahmat, was absolutely fantastic. Even though we put out the Snoozin sign and slept late a few days, he would always hang around or come back to clean the room twice a day. He was so great, we actually tipped him twice! The staff in the MDR was attentive and enjoyable as well.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The Pride is a very easy ship to navigate. I had downloaded the Carnival hub app, and was able to access the deck plans on my phone. The common areas were well kept and staff was always cleaning. There are areas where the ship is showing her age, but overall a lovely vessel.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Standard balcony, king bed set-up, room also had a sofa and small table. Room was clean and plenty of space for the 2 of us; more than enough room for both suitcases to fit under the bed. The bed was comfortable and not too firm or soft. Port side balcony with 2 reclining chairs and a small table. We've had some scrungy ones before, but the balcony and the chairs were clean.
Ship tip
If you want to go to the Serenity deck, go early to get a cabana...they are grabbed pretty quickly.
This is a tender port; ride is about 10 minutes or so after the boat fills up. There are little shops when you enter the port, or you can venture outside the fenced area to shop from some of the locals. There were plenty of loungers and areas to sit. They have walkways throughout the area, to different bars, food pavilion, etc. Great area for snorkeling and we saw lots of fish. The beach/swimming areas were nice, but kind of small. Instead of one continuous beach/shore line, the dock for the tender is sort of in the middle and there are swimming & snorkeling areas on either side.
No excursion this time. We checked out a few shops and walked over to Junkanoo Beach. It's a public beach; we got a lounger, umbrella and a few drinks. The water was beautiful. They also have a few places that sell food.
The port area is nice, but there really isn't much to do here unless you have an excursion or take a taxi to a beach or Port Lucaya. We went to PL, did some shopping, and had the best conch EVER from Daddy Brown's Conch Stand.
Who wants to leave a cruise? But disembarkation went smooth as well. We had breakfast on Lido and waited for our group number to be called. Once in line, we were in the terminal picking up the luggage within 20 minutes.
mlcarlin - I think that's a good idea for these ports. We didn't do any excursions. Princess Cays has a beautiful beach right there. Junkanoo is walkable from the port in Nassau; but you could take a taxi to a nicer beach without too much of an expense. There's no beach area in Freeport, so you'd definitely need to take a taxi to the beach there. I forgot to take a picture of the taxi sign, but you can get to the beach for $5/each way-round trip if you share a taxi.
Thanks for the great review. I am really looking forward to going on this ship in March. I am curious as to if you suggest buying excursions. I would really just like to get off the ship and “beach it” for the day without paying a lot. Thoughts?
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