Randy Wilder  

Age: 47
Occupation: Civil Engineer
Number of Cruises: 6
Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Lines
Ship: Carnival Pride
Sailing Date: June 22nd, 2002
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

Just returned from our cruise on the Pride and wanted to post this while it was still fresh in my mind. Overall, we had a great cruise but with a bad start and bad end due to weather and port parking construction.

Embarkation: We drove down to the Port on Saturday morning without problems and found the parking lot was under construction. It was pouring down rain while we were trying to unload with all the others. Then we had to drive through a maze of detours to get to the temporary parking area and then try to get back to the terminal without drowning. Once inside the terminal, everything went smoothly including the long lines to board. Within 20 minutes we were ‘starting’ our vacation.

Rooms: We had booked Category 6A cabins for my wife and our children (20 and 17) and found we were upgraded to Cat 8 cabins but on different floors. Our kids had a better view, so we agreed to swap since this was also an anniversary cruise (#24). The purser’s staff was very accommodating and had our key cards reprogrammed quickly. At the same time, we elected to remove the automatic gratuity charges from our billing preferring to tip ourselves for the services we received. There was no problem doing so.

The rooms both had narrow balconies, just large enough for two plastic deck chairs and a small foot stool leaving little room for moving around. But the view and fresh air was fantastic. We’ve had window rooms before but they can’t compare with being able to step outside your own room for a quick check of the weather, temp, and sights. We spent many hours out there just looking, reading, or drinking hot chocolate. The room’s television has 3 movie stations, 3 satellite stations (ABC, NBC, & CBS), a GPS station (giving you real-time location, speed, time, and winds), tour booking, account balance, and tour information. The only negative was there being only one electrical outlet in the room and one non-polarized outlet for shavers in the bathroom. However, a hair dryer was pre-wired into the room desk, so you won’t need to bring one as long as you use theirs. If you plan on using hair curlers and a curling iron, you will have to take turns using the single outlet. They also do not allow irons in the rooms and will confiscate them if found. We took one but kept it out of sight.

The Ship: What a beautiful ship, indeed. My wife and I loved it! The Pride has broken from the bright colors and neon lights and has been decorated with Classical décor. Our kids thought it was too cluttered but that never crossed our minds. There are paintings, statues, and vases everywhere. Again, very impressive.

Food: The dining is located in the rear of the ship on two levels. We had a booth for 4 which provided us enough seclusion to talk without difficulty. We had signed up for the main seating which began at 5:45. This was a mistake. With 4 ports of call, we always had to rush back to the ship to get showered, dressed and race to the dining room in time for ordering. We never made it on time, so we were always the last to eat. Fortunately, our waiter was very understanding and had no problems with our late arrivals. The food was varied and good for the most part. Perhaps we have become too accustomed to the food but some of the meats were too tough for our liking. The Prime Rib and lobster were good and still on the menu. Also, the Lido Deck service lines offered a much better variety of meals which could compete with the formal dining room meals. And of course, there was the pizza, fruit, and salad bars. Another nice addition was the 24 hour availability of ice cream and drinks (lemonade, coffee, hot chocolate, and hot tea).

Key West: We have been to the Keys before and so did not take any tours here. In stead we did our own thing walking and shopping and, yes, margaritas.

Belize: We took the Shark and Stingray tour and came back somewhat disappointed. We had been to Sting Ray City in the Caymans and had expected the tour to be something like that. However, we were loaded on an uncovered boat for a 1:15 hour trip to the site, spent 25 minutes in the water, saw 6 stingrays and 1 small nurse shark, loaded aboard for a 20 minute trip to San Pedro island for lunch. We then spent 2 hours walking around a small town with little to offer before spending another 1:30 minutes riding back to the ship. For novice snorkelers, it probably would be enjoyable. For us, our timing was probably bad for the sharks and we have been spoiled by the snorkeling in the Virgin Islands and Bahamas. We did not get back to the ship until 5pm and then it was a frantic race to shower and get to the dining room. Oh yes, we were badly sunburned upon our return. Take something to cover up with and plenty of lotion.

Cozumel: We had been to Cozumel on previous cruises so we opted for the Catamaran Snorkel tour. Our kids were too badly burned from the previous day in Belize to join us. The Catamaran took us about 200 yards from where the ship was docked for our snorkeling. We were in about 20 feet deep water with mostly a sandy bottom. As such, there were few fish to view. The tour guide did manage to ‘herd’ up a lot of fish by feeding them, but once the food was gone, so were they. We then boarded the Catamaran for a 20 minute trip to their private beach. During the trip and also at the beach, there were free drinks for all (beer, margaritas, & cokes for the kids) and as much as you could drink. Hamburgers were available at the beach for a price (we didn’t have any as we planned on lunch aboard the Pride once we returned at 1pm). The beach had free floats, kayaks, volleyball, umbrellas, bathrooms, etc. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at the beach and on the boat ride (and no we’re not alcoholics!) We enjoyed the singing and dancing and just meeting people. We highly recommend this, even with kids. There was no one that became rowdy or rude. It was just a blast!

If you’re looking for snorkeling, try Chankanaab Park or even at the Pier where the ship docks. Right at the shore, adjacent to the Duty Free shops, are stairs leading into the water where many people were swimming and snorkeling. And reportedly, the snorkeling was fantastic there.

Progresso: Being burned and burned out by the time we reached Progresso, we elected to not take any tours. Instead, we took the free shuttle into town (the pier is 4-5 miles long so don’t try walking!). It drops you off at the straw market where you can buy the typical tourist stuff. From there it is just a one block walk to the public beach… a beautiful beach at that! It is about 900 meters in length with turquoise water, tables with thatched shelters, jet skis, ocean kayaks, volleyball, etc. and uncrowded. At the straw market, there is a 20 minute city tour available for one dollar a person. It is on a two-deck bus with a narrator (a college student who enjoys the chance to put his English classes to use). For two bucks, we were able to get a good view of the city and learn of its history. I recommend it. We heard the rodeo tour was also good.

Debarkation: Same issues as Embarkation… the parking lot construction created a lot of chaos and a lot of walking. Be careful of the road construction upon leaving, the signage is poor and we missed our turn and ended up in town and wasted more than 20 minutes getting to the Interstate. It will be nice when they finish, I am told.

Overall: A great cruise. My one peeve was that there were no weather forecasts available anywhere on the ship (except for the internet at 75 cents a minute!). You can check your emails (if you’re that addicted… you are on vacation, aren’t you?) I was told the Pride is relocating to the West Coast. I will be sorry to see her leave. Hopefully, she will be replaced with her twin (and maybe a few improvements… like weather forecasts and electrical outlets).

Enjoy the Pride… we certainly did! Now back to the ‘real world’ !!! ugh! If I forgot something, I apologize. Send me an email and I will try to help.

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