Review of the Carnival Pride

So way back in January Carnival invited me to cruise on the Pride out of Baltimore.
I have so many clients that love sailing on this ship due to the convenience of sailing out of Baltimore, but for me personally it has never been of interest. After all when I cruise I like it to be warm and sunny and spend my time at the pool or on the beach or exploring new ports of call. This cruise sailed in January.

And as you can tell from the above picture we actually had snow on the pool chairs

My second issue before with this cruise is I don't think it has a very exciting itinerary.
We sailed to Port Canaveral, Nassau and Freeport - although on some cruise they do skip Port Canaveral and visit Grand Turks instead

Surprisingly enough I loved this cruise. The ship is definitely older than a lot that I have been on but that was part of what I loved about it, yes maybe it was older but it was built better than the ships that are being built today and so it was designed to last longer.

Walking on board, the first thing I noticed is the atrium is not a wide open space like on most cruise ships

But on a cold winters day it did feel cozy. 

The ship itself in my opinion is quirky with a strong Renaissance feel to it,

One of the funniest things I heard on board was a fellow passenger in the elevator saying how she wouldn't recommend this ship to anyone as it had too many pictures of naked people on board!.

The big question I always ask myself after I cruise is "Would I sail on this ship/itinerary again?" and in this case I would give it a big DEFINITELY

Even though it was cold as we sailed down the coast we did have 2 beautiful sunny days in the Bahamas. The entertainment on the ship - especially the Piano Man was amazing,and the staff among the friendliest I have experienced in a long time

Since it was cold on board we spent a lot of time participating on the on board activities and meeting people. There is nothing like a 3 hour sea day brunch with some very friendly people.We never felt that we had to hurry up and do something or to get somewhere which really made it the perfect getaway

For those that wanted to spend time in the pool they do have a cover so it is not freezing - although I still thought it was too cold. There were a lot of people hanging out there and kids playing in the water

During the summer I think this cruise prices way to high but for a winter getaway, with the lower prices I think it is perfect.

I actually thought about checking prices to take my husband or a group of girlfriends in January 2015 but the Pride is getting a face lift and will be in Tampa until March so maybe I will hold off until the following year. I just hope that the "facefit" doesn't take away her charm and quirkiness 

Carnival Breeze Vacation Day 2

Bon Voyage

Everyone has successfully made it onto the ship and we have sailed off into the sunset

The Breeze is one of Carnivals newest ships. This magnificent 130,000 ton vessel was put into service in 2012.  Despite this there are numerous issues that I wouldn’t have expected on such a new ship.  Example:  The light fell off the wall in one of our guest’s room.  The safe didn’t seem to work until I  finally found a steward to explain the operating procedures which should have been inside the safe.

  This is not your typical “Vegas party design” ship. For this interior Carnival hired Partner Ship Design so the layout seems to be more airy and lighter with pastel colours rather than Carnivals normally gaudy colours.  In the buffet section of the ship they made the seating area more spacious while the walking areas from the buffet to the seating areas are narrower hence, you’re bumping into people with your hands laden with food.

Since we are sailing over Thanksgiving there are a lot of multi-generational families on board.  This also means there are a lot of children running about the ship. Unfortunately Carnival does not have a curfew for those under 18 like many other cruise lines so the youth seem to be running around the ship at all time of day and night with no supervision

 

Not to worry , we won't let that disrupt our vacation. The mandatory muster drill is now done in the conference room with a video. I will admit it is nice not to have to stand around on the open deck wearing a bulky lifevest pressed together like sardines in a can