Carnival Pride Cruise Reviews - Reviews

I loved the staff on the cruise; they were very polite and helpful. I also loved the food. The pizza at the pizza bar wasn't so great. My only complaint is that the Invicta watches claimed 75% off but we found them cheaper after the cruise at multiple retailers. Other than that fact, it was a very nice experience. I loved the private beach, open bar and buffet at Nassau! I would definitely recommend that excursion to anyone!

The beds need to be replaced needed work and more things to do when you don't drink better activities during the day on the ship and during the night hours

We all know that Carnival is not the best, but they are consistent. We book on the Pride for the last week in May every year for the week that our home in Annapolis is being rented to a graduating Midshipman's family. We always take one of the Vista Suites - bedroom w/a king, living room w/couch, small office/make up room, & a large bathroom. There are 2 TV's. The balcony is a wrap around corner about 60 feet long w/ 2 chaises, chairs, & tables. You must book early as they are the most popular cabins on the ship. We are already booked for 2017. They are, of course in the stern directly below the Serenity,(adults only) area.

There has been quite an improvement in the cuisine over the past 10 years, and I would now rate it on a par with all of the mainstream lines. David's steak house is not to be missed. I'll confess we dined there twice last week. Guy's burger joint is quite good, as is the new sushi spot. Up on the lido deck the Deli and salad bar are very good. Alas, the week link is still the main dining room. It's not bad, it's just not up to par with say Holland America or Celebrity,( both of which Carnival owns ) Their fares are somewhat higher which could help explain it...

The entertainment was very good - the drinks too expensive - the spa, foolish - the crew friendly & helpful ... I would give her another star if the main dining cuisine was improved ...And that's the way it was in May of 2016 

This was our 2nd cruise and our 9 year old's first.  She had a blast in the pool, she loved kid camp and REALLY loved Guy's Burgers.  We ate in the dining room every night except one and were satisfied with the choices of appetizers and entrees.  As much as we loved the warm chocolate melting cake, we skipped dessert half of the time to go to the family comedy shows.  The comedians were great and my daughter couldn't get enough of them.  Our biggest complaint was the hard mattress on the bed also, there is a vibration on the odd room number side and aft where the dining room is which didn't bother us but does other people.  Overall, we would definitely cruise again on the Pride!

I would highly recommend this cruise to anyone looking to get away for a week. We had a wonderful time. Our room steward, Isaac, was absolutely amazing. He was available to answer any question that we asked and remembered our preferences for things to do and see. The room and entire ship was always clean and there was always something to do. Having the balcony was amazing as we could still enjoy being outside while having some privacy. We were a little surprised about the bill at the end of the trip, but we should have kept better tabs on our spending. We will definitely be cruising with Carnival again!

The food in the dinning room was great. The comedy shows 18+ We really enjoyed  the shows. Bingo  was expensive for just 3 games.  Enjoyed bring out to sea. 

Our experience on Carnival Pride had some ups and downs.  Unfortunately, the downs will cause us to second guess going on another Carnival cruise.  On the bright side, the ups will have us looking into another cruise, but just with a different line.  Carnival's customer service for special assistance fell completely flat.  We had an elderly person traveling with us that required wheelchair assistance on and off the ship when embarking and disembarking.  The entire process was a nightmare.  If you are not an elite cruiser, privileged, or part of the fun package you receive zero accommodations.  We were told our elderly member would board the ship after crew members, entertainment, privileged/priority and fun package members were aboard, but that a carnival staff member must bring the wheelchair to us and then wheel our family member onto the ship.  By the time all of that happened everyone else in our group ended up on the ship almost an hour before our elderly family member.  Then when we tried to get this family member a wheelchair to disembark once we arrived home, a carnival staff member told us that we could not arrange for wheelchair service since our family member could not walk the length of the boat to the designated area for individuals that needed assistance.  What kind of customer service is that?  Obviously our family member could not walk a great distance if a wheelchair was needed to get off the boat, so how could they have been expected to walk to the designated area?  It was very disheartening to see elderly people treated that way.  Our statesman, Heru, was outstanding, as well as the lido deck 9 mid pool manager, John was amazing.  The two of them could not have been more accommodating.  Bar tenders at both of the Red Frog Pub bars & the Blue Iguana bar were great too.  These people are what made our trip memorable.  The islands were great too!  On a whole we had a positive experience when it came to cruising, but we more than likely will not cruise again with Carnival.

Freeport is basically the Caribbean ghetto. Book an excursion because there is nothing worth seeing. Also pay attention to what needs you to fill out other wise you won't receive your on board credit. I did not receive it and my travel agent couldn't do anything about it. 

My husband and I had been on cruises a few times before, but this was our first time with our kids (4 years old).  We all had a blast!  They loved Camp Carnival (they asked to go to "school" every day) and were enthralled with the shows.  The pool is great for kids this age, as there is a wading pool around the main deep pool, so they could play on their own while I sat there and watched them.  Their only complaint was the bracelets that they had to wear the whole time.  I wish they had better options that we could have paid for that were more comfortable.  We will definitely do another cruise with them within the next few years.

As far as my husband and I go, we had a great time with the kids but we'll try a different boat next time.  The shows at night were fun because we enjoyed watching their reactions, but the singing was up to par with a karaoke bar (but the dancing was good).  We didn't get to go to any of the adult comedy shows because we didn't want top put the kids in the nighttime camp, but the one PG show that we went to was funny.  Alchemy Bar was fantastic, and it was fun to watch them make drinks there.  I paid extra to get filet mignon from the steakhouse in the dining room one night and it was phenomenal, whereas the filet that I got on the night that it was a menu choice was not good.  Our dining room waiter wasn't nearly as friendly as on past cruises, but he was fine.

We didn't plan any excursions since anything that the kids could do was overpriced for what we would get for the 4 of us.  The beach in Grand Turk was fine, but it was choppy and the kids didn't feel comfortable playing in it.  I was impressed with the beach itself - until we got to Half Moon Cay.  The beach and the water there was so amazing and gorgeous.  Unfortunately one of my kids was sick so we had to go back to the boat immediately, but from what I saw it was amazing, and my husband and other daughter came back all smiles.  There is a free water play area for kids (a fountain and a structure with some water slides and stuff), and my daughter loved it.  The island is owned by Carnival, so you don't get the hard sell that you get from people on other islands.  It was just very relaxing and peaceful, and the water was calm.  In Freeport we just went to the area right off the port and it was boring and expensive.  Every stall sold the same exact stuff, and it was a hard sell from everyone.  We wouldn't go back unless there was an excursion we wanted to do, or if that was a required stop in cruises to Half Moon Cay (because I am dying to go back there!).

All in all, we really enjoyed ourselves.  It was our first trip alone as a family, and my husband and I definitely realized that vacationing with kids is an entirely new experience.  The staff on the boat was very friendly, and our kids got a lot of attention.  I would recommend Carnival to anyone.

This was a great ship and cruise. Getting in and out of Baltimore was easy for us. The staff on the ship was super friendly. We used the anytime dinning and were very happy. We still asked for the same waiter and where able to get him most of the time.  

Embarkation was a drawn out process with 90 minutes in lines and no photographers left to take boarding pictures. Balcony room was nice and well kept up by the room steward. Food was very good at all locations with a nice variety. Comedy shows were great. Other shows were entertaining also. The ships decor was enjoyable, Despite large contingent of guests, there were seldom waits for elevators. Sodas offered in limited Coca Colas varieties only, If the weather had been a bit warmer (sailed 1 May), the time topside would have been much more fun.

Loved the ports and excursions! Shout out to Fernando in the dining room and Alex at the Blue Iguana! You guys made our trip unforgettable! :D Highly recommend this cruise!

My 5th cruise with Carnival and it was TERRIBLE !  The service and meals was just plain bad !  The cabin was never cleaned the last day on board the ship.  The buffet food was under cooked.  Guys Burgers were burnt.  The main dining hall service and meal was bad.  The steaks were tough, never offered drinks, etc.

For people in wheelchairs and scooters, some of the thresholds need to be replaced that are too high to go over.  I know I had my husband in a wheelchair and a couple of the thresholds that I thought were okay ended up hurting his back when I bumped into them.  Otherwise, had a wonderful cruise.

One thing I was annoyed at is the rules set for dining room and the Serenity  room.  Children were going into the Serenity for 21 and older and nothing was said to them by the staff.  Also, instructions were no shorts, bathing suits and clothes with holes in them were NOT allowed in the dining room, yet I saw all kinds of people wearing shorts and nothing was said by the staff.  If you are going to have rules, then stick by them.

Bernice McClain

Had a wonderful time. The Pride is the perfect size ship. Only issue was that we felt the sererity deck was too small for the amount of adults on board that wished to relax without kids. Not enough chairs or room to spread out. People were waiting like vultures to swoop in and claim a spot, or those that had spots kept them all day. Will not get off the ship in Nassau, ever again, very tourist trap.

We had a good time.  the ship was in fair condition.  Was a little outdated.  The refrigerator didn't work well and the TV was an old tube TV from the late 90's.  I think it's time to break down and spend a few bucks on a flat screen already.  The food in the main dining hall was very good but the buffet could use a little work.  Variety and freshness was an issue at the buffet.  We had fun at the shows and the casino and the staff was very nice and very helpful.  My son really enjoyed the Circle C club and activities.  The destination islands were beautiful and full of activities.      

Carnival Pride is a great ship! Kids love the water slides and having 2 pools makes it much less crowded.  Dive Inn movies were a family hit but get there early for good seats.  The food was wonderful and Half Moon Cay is definitely the best Caribbean port!  The shows were entertaining but not quite the same scale as Norwegian. Staff was very friendly and totally accommodating.  Would definitely cruise on the Pride again.

staff on board was nice however I went to my room at one point to overhear a housekeeper complaining about my room. My state boy, Michael saw me & then started talking to me extra extra nice! I believe he was embarrassed. Also the drink package for myself & children I believe are over priced. I did not get my $ worth. I am a single mom & I think if you purchase the "cheers" package, you shouldn't have to pay extra for soda for your kids. I did not like how they took so many beautiful pictures but to get them was a ridiculous price. You couldn't even purchase all pics for one bundled price. 

All & all I was not impressed or satisfied with the cruise & will not be going again. I went to a Beaches resort & was treated like an absolute queen. This cruise was not even close to that. 

I want to start by saying our primary reason for choosing this cruise is convenience. We live in Western New York (7 to 8 hour drive) and have relatives in Maryland we can stay with before and after the cruise. This is a big time and cost saver for the travel part of the vacation.

Our cabin was an extended balcony on the rear of the ship and was very nice. The extra room was nice but not worth the extra we paid. We will stick to regular balcony in the future.Room service was erratic. The first day they were 1/2 hour late and the next day they were about 10 minutes early (1/2 hour window).

Your Time dining was terrible! You had to get in line about 1/2 hour before they opened the doors or you would get a restaurant pager and be called when they could fit you in.This hardly qualifies as "Your Time Dining".  We have done "Your Time Dining" on other Carnival ships and have never had to wait for a table. Service in this section was very erratic. The place settings were only complete one night out of 7. In one area we were told to keep our used silverware for the next course, in another area everything was replaced with each course. With the exception of one waitress, the staff was good, It seemed that they were a little overwhelmed many nights trying to keep up with the constant flow of guests in and out of their sections. We did notice that the one waitress that had some type of attitude disappeared about half way through the cruise. While we didn't complain I would assume others must have. The "Your Time Dining" on this ship needs a complete overhaul!

Dining on the Lido deck was challenging because it is all so good! Blue Iguana was delicious, Guys was great, The buffet always had something interesting, the pizza was good, The deli was great, Fruit, Endless desserts. I loved the layout too! I never had to wait in a long line except for an omelette. One more omelette station would have been nice.

Entertainment was nice. Always something going on. Cruise Director Steve seemed to be everywhere and just oozed enthusiasm. The band "School of Groove" was one of the best bands I have ever seen anywhere. The range of the two lead vocalists was unbelievable and the musicians were some of the best I have had the pleasure of listening to. In contrast, the big production musical numbers were terrible. I am not a big fan of this type of entertainment anyway, but this was pretty bad. I heard several guests refer to them as "The Yellers". The implication being that singing louder doesn't make your voice any better.

All in all we enjoyed this cruise and most of the staff that took good care of us. Because of the value of it being so close and having almost no travel costs, this cruise came in "Just Good Enough" and we have decided to celebrate our 35th Wedding Anniversary on the Pride in a couple of months.

For people living in the Baltimore area, cruising out of the port of Baltimore is convenient and minimizes pre cruise expenses.  The three ports (Nassau, Half Moon Cay, and Grand Turk) are all great ports and offer much in the way of excursions.  The food on the Carnival Pride was excellent.