Carnival Pride Cruise Reviews - Reviews

We had a nice time on the Pride. The staff was fun and friendly. There could have been more to do on board. The entertainment was not as good as on past cruises and neither was the food. But all in all considering we had rough seas, and not the greatest weather while in our ports of call, we had a good experience. 

I had a very nice time at ca rnival cruises however  it could be better. MOST OF THE STAFF were very very very very  very very.      very very nice. Ice cream was good. First deck was nice. I loked the reggae entertainment duo. Breakfast was gross. Well the buffet sucked but the sitting down and ordering was good. Good french toast. 

Although the itinerary may not have been over the top, the on board experience with the crew members made it a very enjoyable  cruise.   Our stateroom crew was  always at the ready and cheerful in spite of the long hours they must work.  Certainly could not tell it from their attitude and actions.  Friendless smiles and ready to help in any way they could was our experience    Even those in the other areas we encountered as we walked the ship were quick with a smile and a warm greeting.

Our formal dining room team was also exceptional.   They worked hard to accommodate some dietary restrictions our family presented as well as the picky palates.  If they sensed there was concern, they quickly checked to see how they could make it better 

Their attitude helped to over come so of the less than stellar preparations.   Having cruised for many years, we have noted that the quality of the provisions has decreased some.   Most noticeable was the beef cuts.   Cruise cuisine is more like Hotel Banquet Fare than Fine Dining.  Pretty presentations but doesn't always live up to the billing.

It was a great week plus for our family, tremendous value for the vacation dollars and we are looking forward to our next trip!

Boat was rocky due to waves. Would recommend cruise not in winter. However the boat had great amenities and the excursions were wonderful! The excisions varied in greatness with the worst one being in Florida. The Florida excisions were overpriced for what they offer and the port where they drop you off does not have much, so if you wish to explore it will cost you money to even get to civilization to explore the area. 

I was well pleased with the service on and off board of the ship. Didn't think there was enough entertainment tho. The burgers up on the lido deck where out of this world

Very poor on activities during daytime , nightime shows were in smaller areas and overcrowded ,were supposed have a heated pool which was not and never closed roof over pool was very disappointed we thought would be a nice cruise for the holiday we were let down 

From the time we entered the ship to the time we departed, the crew were helpful and kind. We loved the cabin we had. There was plenty of room for us to put our belongings away and the bed was nice and big. Felipe, our steward, brought us big fluffy robes and put our cabin in sparkling good order every day. The bed was comfortable. We slept really well. We booked a balcony room for the first time and do not want to go any other way, now. The view of Charleston from the dock was beautiful. It was still dark when we docked, so we were able to see the city lit up at night. We were right by the historic district. It was wonderful to be able to just walk off and walk around the city without experiencing any problems. The food was wonderful and the service was outstanding. Love the way that they use buzzer and  light alarms to let you know when your table is ready. It gives you freedom to roam the area around the dining room without having to stand in a line. There was plenty of comfortable seating in the Raphael Room if a person wished to just sit, have a drink(or not) and wait. Dianna had possession of the buzzer alarms. She was a delight. We enjoyed conversing and joking with her. Jaime has a beautiful voice and sometimes bursts out in song while serving dinner. All the wait staff were friendly and attentive. Oh and our steaks were always medium rare, just the way we like it. We've had steak houses mess up on that. Enjoyed the suggested unusual adventure dishes (rabbit in wine sauce, ox tongue, frogs legs, escargot.) It's an opportunity to try something you may have been afraid to try before. Also liked the special port menu. The appetizers were always great. Hard to choose so I always did a soup, salad, and sometimes even a special appetizer dish that just sounded good. Extra vegetables were added on the menu for those of us who like to go beyond the usual vegetable accompaniment. Lobster Tail for the first formal night. That's hard to beat. The Thanksgiving turkey was delicious. I even liked the stuffing and I'm a picky stuffing person. Creme Brulee is one of my favorite deserts, they did it well. For my birthday celebration, they brought me one with a candle in it. We stayed onboard at Port Canaveral because we have driven to that area numerous times. We just wanted to enjoy the comforts of the ship for that day. We could see NASA from where we were docked. If there had been a rocket launch, we would have had a first class seat. We also enjoyed high tea on the second fun sea day. They did it well with the fancy sandwiches and sweets. There was also a selection of decaf for those of us limited for medical reasons. There was a lovely member of the wait staff whose name I do not remember, she was from Rumania and had been born in Turkey. She took time to tell me about the best places to go in Freeport. We took a Nassau Tour of the Clifton Heritage National Park. We enjoy learning of the history and culture of an area. This tour was perfect for us. Our driver, Craig, took us past the house were a scene from a James Bond Movie was filmed. It was the one with a shark in the swimming pool. He also stopped at the beach where some of the Jaws movies were filmed. He told us about many of the buildings along the way to the park and explained how the Nassau buildings were color coded. There was also the fascinating fact that some old trees from the 1600s could not be damaged or cut down so buildings had to be built around them. Anne Marie, was our guide at the park.  She started out by treating all of us to a national Bahamian soda drink called Goombay. We saw the restored slave quarters with an intricate thatched roof. Many other buildings were not restored, yet, but added to the story. Interesting stairway from the beach to the top of the hill. This is where slaves and goods were offloaded to that section of the island. Also saw archaeological site where Lucayan Indians used to worship. There was an inspiring sculpture of several African women looking in several different directions. It signified their trying to face where Africa is, but not knowing which way to face. On the drive back we saw their College, which will be upgraded to a University soon. We learned a little about Craig and his family. He said they live on a small family island that is so safe that they can leave their doors unlocked.

We did not go to any of the special "happenings" other than the tea because my husband and I were looking for quiet time together. The balcony helped provide that and the fact that it was cleaned so often kept our view from getting too clouded from salt spray. It was a pleasure walking and sitting on the other decks, as well. I'd like to mention that we love the new "no smoking" regulations. We both have asthma. A previous cruise caused problems for us at night because the smoke could not be kept out of the hallways and even our cabin. We were awakened by our asthma and wheezing and had to use our inhalers. That did not happen on this cruise. We are happy we booked the port side because the starboard side is the one with smoking areas. We had to rush to port the last night because there was a medical emergency. We felt it was handled well. We still got to enjoy our breakfast and had a leisurely departure from the ship.

1. Was pretty cold for using pools Ship is pretty old inside and outside and does not have modern innovations such as flat screen TVs and TV panels in hall ways with schedules and information.

2. Stop for whole day in Charleston, S.C. at 50 degrees was just time killer. Better to go south and spend day in the see.

3. On Cocoa Beach stop only visiting Cape Canaveral might be valuable. To go to Orlando to Disney parks for only 5-6 hours in the busiest time with double pay is total waste of money. Cocoa Beach Village is nice, but absolutely nothing to see, only shopping. To get there you have to pay. Never go there again. Better stay on the ship. Definitely it was too cold and windy on the beach and no way to get there from ship by walking. Total waste of that day too.

4. Nassau, Bahamas. Water wasn't warm to really enjoy the south. Do not know how people did snorkeling and swimming with dolphins. There are not so much to do in the city other than going to a beach. The biggest concern there is lack of time, only half of a day.

5. Freeport, Bahamas. No beach at all!!! Have to take a tour for $20 to get to a beach. That tour included ONLY 2 hours being on the beach. Drinks are not included and you have to pay $7-$9 to do not be thirsty.

6. There is "prohibition era" on the ship. At first, security confiscated 6 bottles of water we wanted to bring with us. That is too crazy for air plains, but how that can be justified for huge ocean-size ship? Bottle of water on the ship costs about $4, simple cocktail about $9. No free vine at dinner time. The most crazy part that you CAN purchase ANY alcohol in duty-free shop, but they will give it to you only on the last day morning.

7. Near Bahamas, when it was pretty warm ship was running with speed about 20 kts. When we get back and it was already cold it was cruising with a speed of about 10-11 kts.

8. Food options were pretty weak. Once I was up to pizza, but had to stay in line and by not knowing how long I have to wait I quit. Later heard some people complained about horrible pizzas. There was a situation when they were out of sanitizer on the entrance. No control over that at all.

9. Entertainment was also pretty weak. I assume the ship was not big enough for that. However I've noticed extremely bad planning. People couldn't get in to a magician presentation because he did it in a small room. One comedian was nice guy, but horrible comedian. Never saw "Comedy Club" before, but it sucked there.

10. Child care was pretty good. Probably the best thing on the ship.

Conclusion

That cruise cost us about the same money as our last trip to Mexico with better services, better food options, free drinks and free beach when you want.

Trip from Baltimore has to be done only in the summer, when it is warm whole cruising time and you do not hiding in your cabin the half of the time of your cruse.

We had a wonderful time getting away. The ship needs some repairs. Tile work, carpet, elevator  and so many places. Our room Stewart was wonderful, our head waiter was wonderful the other staff not so much. Not even at the bar.  Live music was good, comedy was good but in the wrong location. You would have to show up 1/2 hr early just to find a seat (not a good seat- a seat).  The buffet food was COLD and not good. Dinning room food was better, they did accommodate for his gluten allergy, I was impressed.  This is the 1st cruise (been on 10) that I thought was just okay.  It will be a few years before we try this again.  I never heard the captain - not once, didn't welcome us aboard, no updates. Just sad! Hot tubs were very cold (all of them) the one in the gym was the best.  Our room was fine. The balcony was not very well maintained.

Never staff around to ask for help, get a drink, just any service.  Make the photos more affordable! Families can't afford this. Stop nickle and dimming families. Wifi, bottled water, sushi bar, soda, ect. The price for the cruise has not gone down but the services and the atmosphere has.  Get it together Carnival.  Get some decent shows and entertainment. And don't put all the shows at the same time!

We enjoyed the cruise. The staff was very friendly and quick to take care of you. The events were a lot of fun. The Punchliner Comedy shows were great! The comics were very funny. The food was excellent with a wide variety to choose. The formal dining room also had excellent food. The waiters/waitresses would put on a 3-5 minute dance which every one truly enjoyed. We had a balcony quarters. It was roomy and not cramped. We loved the excursion in Freeport. It was 3 mini-excursions. We visited a tropical garden, rode ATVs, and went to the beach. I would recommend this excursion. I would like to take another Carnival cruise in the near future. Carnival cruises are definitely worth the cost and we would recommend it to friends. 

I was a bit apprehensive going into the cruise, as the reviews of this ship on cruisecritic.com were not great, for the most part.  However, it seems these reviews were just bad luck-of-the-draw for Carnival.

The Pride was no worse and in some respects better than our other cruise experience, RC's Grandeur of the Seas.  It is slightly larger than the Grandeur (one more deck and an extra 19 meters in length); the staff were just as friendly on the whole; the common areas are somewhat newer and fancier; the gym is much more extensive, with more equipment and facilities (including a whirlpool tub as well as more and better showers); and the room service is shockingly thorough---they go beyond cosmetics and actually sanitize all of the bathroom surfaces every day.

My only criticism (and you will hear this on cruisecritic.com as well) is that the "Normandie" dining room (the main, formal restaurant) is simply not up to snuff.  I had no problem with the food, but the wait times were too long, and a number of the wait staff just do not seem to be cut out for their particular line of work.  The one big plus was manager Alina (from Ukraine), who kindly went out of her way to ask the kitchen to prepare something "Dr. Seussy" for our brunch, after our son got upset that we slept in and missed the Dr. Seuss breakfast on the last full day of the cruise.  We ended up receiving some very attractive French toast encrusted in Fruit Loops cereal.  It was a very personalized touch, and it showed me that Carnival pays its staff enough to go out of their way for the customers, to the extent that they can.  There were other moments of consideration from Alina and one of the other managers as well, but I won't bore you with the details.

On the whole, a good experience.

First, the positives:

Food was good

Most of the service was good

We had a good time

The entertainment was good

Negatives:

Took over 2 hours to get on the ship even after filling out everything online in advance.  

The main attraction for us, the water slides and splash pad was broken for the entire time 

The ship is not well cared for.  There is more vibration throughout the ship than any ship I've been on- to the point where it knocked glasses off the dining table.  It's just looking worn overall as well.

It was very hard to manage my food allergy on board.

With this being our first cruise I wasn't sure what to expect. I was surprised to see how clean the ship was & friendly the staff was no matter what time of the day you seen them. Our servers in the MDR was great. It was a little hard to understand them sometimes but they remembered your name after the first night. I really liked the towel animals & how clean our room was kept. We did a lot of walking and everything was so clean on the ship. I felt safe on the ship & at the ports. Our last port wasn't that great but you make the most out of it cause you are on vacation. 

The trip to Baltimore was nice. Check in outside went smoothly, luggage and parking. The lines were long to go thru the metal detectors and the lines were even more longer than you would believe. Over two hours to get checked In. We had lunch food was good. We had a rear balcony on level 6. Not worth the upgrade cost. Room was nice but nothing different than a side balcony. Glass on the balcony  to look thru  at the ocean was filthy. Could not see thru it. Luggage arrived before dinner. Monday  was rough because of tropical storm Kate. Many people were ill. Dinning was ok but nothing like last time we were on the ship. Shows were okay, better at the end of the week. Comedy shows are in the Butterfly lounge. Had to wait in line and sometimes you could not get a seat for the over 18 shows. Not sure why they don't use the larger theatre. Days at sea no much activity going on. Last time they had karaoke  during the day and that was fun to do. Like the old decorations better but that's me. Didn't care for what they did to the David statue. Randy our room steward was fantastic. Rest of the staff I didn't feel were as friendly like last time. Got into port late because of an emergency medial condition of a passenger at sea. It was nice they left us all know in the morning. The helicopter made a lot of noise in the we hours of the morning to pick up the patient. I hope she is doing find. Took our own luggage off the ship and that went good, got off about two hours earlier than if  we would of let them take our luggage. Trip over all was good but there is room for improvements. Now on to the Carnival Splendor in 2016 and back to the Pride in the Fall to Bermuda.  

i was never on a cruise before. This experience was first rate. Rooms were clean and well taken care of. Our room attendant was excellent. He took great care of the room and us, was always there to assist us with any need we had. The entertainment was first class. I had a great time in all the bars, but the piano bar was the best it was friendly, entertaining and our go to place when we were looking for a pick me up. My only complaint was that after the first day room service took more than a hour. But even so I would cruise with you again it was more than I expected.

A very enjoyable first cruise.  If I had to list a disappointment, it would have been room service. It took hours for a BLT as well as for coffee and danish in the am....on out last day, it never even came. We gave up after 3 hours and went upstairs.  

The staff and crew of the Carnival Pride were, as always, superb. Our stateroom was clean and well maintained throughout our trip, and the food was delicious. Can't say enough about the courteous staff. We had a fabulous time.

As a first time cruiser this passed all expectations ! We had an awesome time . The ship was very clean and maintained . The crew was friendly and courteous . We stayed on deck 8 and the room Stewarts were awesome . Special shout out to Ekanyero Hadi ! You were awesome. So friendly and helpful. Food was excellent. Excursions were perfect. Just can't say anything negative. Really an enjoyable trip😊

I had a Wonderful time, my husband And I. OUR room was Excellent. Our cabin cleaner-Maid . She was OUTSTANDING.She was Kind and Sweet, so considerate. She createdTowels made of different Animals.I Special 1 was the Monkey Hanging from the closet. Please credit her with my Thanks, The Food was Delious, The Entainment was Good. Every Staff member in the Resturant was SMILING.Keep up the GOOD Work. Mrs. Cheryl Richardson

We had a suite on this cruise. It was not ready when we entered the room. It had no itinerary, no paper, no pens, no water, no drink passes (vifp passes ), no vifp pibs, the robes were missing, the fridge was broken, and there was no luggage mat on the bed. Once all of that got taken care of( 2 hours), the cruise began. The cruise director was Steve. As far as activities go, it was terrible. There was a seminar every hour you could go to if you wanted. Spend more money. As far as fun activities, there would be one, then an hour or so, then another. Most of the fun activities were scheduled for the evening. This was a huge problem because when you are in the main dining room, it took a minimum of 2 1/2 hours to eat. They were very slow in there, resulting in us only eating in there 3 times. Overall, the cruise was good, but activities sucked and the crew of this ship was not prepared for anything.