Lauren Ross

Age: 14
Occupation: Student
Number of Cruises: First Cruise
Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Lines
Ship: Carnival Pride
Sailing Date: March 30th, 2002
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

This was my first cruise, and to tell the truth I was amazed at the Carnival Pride and loved the ship from the first time I saw it. I had been apprehensive about the whole cruising idea, because you are not in as much control, or so I thought. This is the cruising perspective of a teenager.

I went on this cruise with my parents, a friend, his parents and brother, and another family with a husband, wife and 7 year old son. There were a myriad of activities to keep this diverse group occupied.

The first thing I would like to comment on is the staff aboard the Carnival Pride. They were very helpful and friendly. In the Muster Drill at the beginning of the cruise, there was a situation with the life jackets on our hall, and, separated from my parents, I could not find one. Tia, the stewardess for my section of the ship (Riviera Aft), helped me and another group with this issue. The problem was solved as efficiently as possible. Adriana, the drink server at the Poseidon Pool and a bar stewardess in the dining room, was one of the bright spots on the cruise. She always greeted our group with a smile on her face. Peter, the head waiter for our tables in the Normandie Dining Room (Second Level), was willing to accommodate to special needs. Both he and Robert, the assistant waiter, were nice and wonderful with Benjamin, the child in our party. We have wonderful pictures of Robert with Benjamin in his sombrero from Cozumel.

Dinner in the Normandie Dining Room each night was a treat. We chose the late (8:15) seating, and I am quite thankful. It allowed us to spend some time at the pool in the late afternoon without the main crowds. I would recommend the late seating to any upcoming cruisers. I am a vegetarian, and a very picky one at that. I never had any trouble finding food that I enjoyed. I was able to order plain pasta or just a plate full of sliced tomatoes without a problem. Every evening the wait staff accompanied the maitre d’ in singing cheerful songs. Some nights they even had props, such as hats and wigs. The guests in the dining room would get into the act, singing along and clapping. Some even took pictures or videotaped.

The ship's decor was amazing. Different sections of the ship were adorned by pride-inspiring themes. I was in awe when I stepped into the nine story atrium from Port Canaveral. There were giant Renaissance themed murals on the walls. The Disco, Beauties Lounge, was decorated by brightly colored figures. Butterflies Lounge, on the first deck, was styled as the name suggests. The Casino was derby themed, with painted jockey uniforms on the walls. Note that I walked through the casino, even though I am not old enough to gamble. There were many other lounging spots aboard, all nicely and tastefully decorated with art and matching themed furniture. The Taj Mahal was the three story stage where the shows took place. It was a colossal room, one of the few places on the ship where you could feel movement. A red velvet jewel curtain on the stage was the first thing that caught people's eye when they entered the area. Indian decorations, such as tile and animal figures, ornamented the walls and the staircases to the upper levels on either side of the stage. There was also the Ivory Piano bar which was filled with music every night.

I spent many afternoons by the pools on the Lido Deck (deck 9). In the middle of the deck was the Mermaid Grill, which contained a variety of food places for casual dining, such as a 24 hour pizzeria. We ate here in the mornings and at lunch; they also offered dinner. There were three pools, each with an accompanying jacuzzi. The pools were peanut shaped, and very shallow (wading depth) around the edges, with a deeper oval in the middle. The jacuzzis were a place for socializing and meeting new people, although small children sometimes bombarded them in the mornings of the fun days at sea. Sometimes finding a pool chair was difficult, so I'd suggest getting to the Lido deck early to stake out a spot. There was also a water slide that was open some of the time. I cannot comment on it because I never found the time to ride it. Remember that the sun is much hotter that far south. I got burnt badly the first fun day at sea. A member of the group got a case of sun poisoning.

My friend and I did not do many of the Camp Carnival activities. We only participated in one, a race to see who could get the most signatures of crew members. Only us and two more kids in our age group (13-15) did it. Since it was around spring break, most of the kids, especially the older ones, traveled in groups, so they didn't need the children's activities to meet new people and have friends their age around. Each night there were discos for people of different age groups, including a teen one. There were many children on the boat that week, more than 2/5 of the passengers.

For the most part, I enjoyed the shows. There were comedians, some I thought hilarious, others not. There was a Las Vegas style show and a musical. The Passenger Talent Show on Wednesday night was a lot of fun! My father, Allan Ross, sang Proud Mary as the first act of eight. Troy Linton, the cruise director was quite funny at times.

This is what my group did each day of the cruise:

Day 1: Board the ship, which was uneventful for us. Then we ate lunch at the Mermaid Grill and went to the orientation session in the Taj Mahal. My friend and I explored the ship and I began to get my bearings. Right before we took off the Carnival Pride had her Muster Drill, where all passengers must go, with their life jackets, to one of four lifeboat stations. After that we set sail. I was at the pool that afternoon. We met the dining staff that night at dinner.

Day 2: Key West, Florida. This was one of my favorite days. My family and I decided not to do an offered tour. We just walked the streets of the key. If you know what you are doing, this can be very enjoyable. We went to Ernest Hemingway's House (I would highly recommend that), the Lighthouse, Sloppy Joe's and the Southernmost Point in the continental United States.

Day 3: Fun Day at Sea. Today we just explored the boat more and chilled by the pool. This was the first formal dinner night and was the Captain's Cocktail Night. I shook his hand and spoke briefly to the captain himself (and appear on the Travelog doing so).

Day 4: Belize City, Belize. This was my least favorite day. We went snorkeling at Goff's Cay and I would not recommend this. Even though Belize has the second largest barrier reef in the world, the snorkeling was not the best. It was bland and without bright colors. There were hardly any fish swimming around. The group of about 30 was led by three guides. All I remember is there was a mass of people and everyone was kicking others and getting kicked. My mask wouldn't seem to say on properly. After about an hour and a half of that, we hung out on a small island. You could see from one side of the barrier island to the other, and it had rocky edges. This island was quite picturesque. From hearsay the River Ruins Tour was the best one offered in Belize. In the afternoon we decided to go by tender ride to Belize City to say that we'd been there. There wasn't much to do in the city itself, but the shops by the port kept the group occupied. My dad went into the city itself and said he found it depressing.

Day 5: Cozumel, Mexico. Our party had had enough sun by this time, so we decided to skip the beach and head to the shops instead. I had plenty of fun haggling prices with the merchants and rejoicing over good buys. Cruise lines offer special raffles and promotions in select shops. I would advise participating in these, as my mom won an emerald pendant in a raffle at a jewelry shop. People who went snorkeling here said that it was much more colorful than Belize.

Day 6: Progreso. We did the all day Chichen Itza tour and loved it. There were two long bus rides to the archaeological site and back, but it was worth it. On the bus rides we were briefed about the history of the Yucatan Peninsula and the importance of Chichen Itza by our tour guide and his assistant. There, we were able to climb the pyramid and explore the conservatory, ball court and other buildings. The Gala Buffet took place that night. It was both delicious and gorgeous. Watermelons were carved into boats, and there were edible flowers everywhere.

Day 7: Fun Day at Sea. We spent this day, our last, at the pool. We put our luggage outside our cabin by midnight.

Day 8: Debarkation was early! Luckily our tags were called second.

I would love to cruise again on the Carnival Pride. This cruise was one of the most unforgettable experiences of my lifetime (short as it may be). On vacation it is wonderful to wake up in the morning and not have to worry about catching a train or avoiding long lines. I would recommend this itinerary and the Carnival Pride to any cruiser!

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