Thom Ouellette

Age: 22
Occupation: Professional
Number of Cruises: 1
Cruise Line: Carnival
Name of Ship: Pride
Sailing Date: February 1st, 2003
Itinerary: Western Caribbean


Since this was my first cruise I wasn't sure exactly what to expect. When we arrived in Port Canaveral I was amazed at the size of our ship in comparison to the others in port. The check-in process was incredibly quick and the staff at the port was very pleasant. They started the boarding process earlier than the announced time and we were invited to a lunch buffet in the Mermaids Grill once we boarded. I opted to explore the ship instead.

The Ship: I was amazed when I first entered the Renaissance Atrium. The pictures in the cruise brochure do not do it justice. It was absolutely beautiful and much larger than I had expected. We immediately made our way up to David's Supper Club to make reservations. The Supper Club was really beautiful as well. Before departure I read several reviews that said the ship was gaudy and cheap looking. I'd by lying if I said this ship was anything akin to the Four Seasons or The Ritz Carlton. For those who think it's a bit "over the top" it's SUPPOSED to be that way. Carnival is not known for it's subdued decor. We explored most of the main areas of the ship and were pleasantly surprised at all the smaller venues such as the Raphael Room, The Starry Night Lounge and all of the random sitting area's throughout the ship. Finally we made our way to our stateroom and were also pleasantly surprised. We had a Category 8 Balcony Stateroom # 5221. It was much larger than the hotel rooms we stay at in New York and the balcony way plenty large to suit two people comfortably. The shower was a bit small but it was functional with plenty of water pressure and hot water. There was also abundant closet and drawer space for storage. After the muster drill we went to Lido for cast off and enjoyed that.

Dinner: We had late seating at 8:15pm and were very disappointed with The Normandie Restaurant, the ships main dining room. Seating over a thousand people for dinner is much like herding cattle and when our server came to the table we felt VERY rushed to eat. The food was almost warm enough and almost totally devoid of flavor. It literally has to be the worst food I have had in a long time. We were SO disappointed that we made reservations at David's Supper Club for every other night of the cruise.

The Mermaids Grill was great. We ate breakfast there almost every day. They always had hot, fresh and delicious food. The scrambled eggs did leave something to be desired though. We ate at the late night buffet the first night of the cruise because dinner was so terrible in the dining room. That was also delicious. The 24 hour pizzeria had wonderful gourmet pizzas. Lunch at the Mermaid's Grill was always fresh and always varied. We also ordered room service several times and no matter how large or complex our order was we never had to wait more than 5 minutes to get our food. It was also very tasty.

David's Supper Club: From the moment we walked into David's we felt welcome and pampered. Not only was the food delicious, the service was also impeccable. Every staff member who greeted us was friendly and willing to bend over backwards to meet our needs. Being that we ate there every night on the cruise they got to know us and know which cocktails and wines we liked and also which foods and how we liked them prepared. I consider myself a food aficionado and have eaten at some of the finest and most famous restaurants in the country and I was still impressed with the quality and flavor of the food. I would recommend every single dish I ate. Some of the things I treated myself to were; White Dover Sole Muniere, Fillet Mignon, Porterhouse, South African Lobster Tail, Milk Fed Provimi Veal, Ounce after ounce of Sevruga Caviar and also many delicious desserts. David's is the only place on the ship to get a tasty dessert. Desserts on the rest of the ship were bland and flavorless. There is only one complaint that I had about David's and that is the music. They were supposed to have a duo called "Two of a Kind" but because the singer of the group was stricken ill and had to leave the ship on a helicopter the man was just left singing and playing the piano. He was flat and miserable to listen to. Other than that it was an incredible place to eat and I would recommend it highly.

Service on the Ship was also very nice. Some of the bartenders lacked personality but I never found then to be rude. They always accommodated our requests quickly. We rarely had to order our own drinks at the bar because every time we sat down near a bar a cocktail waitress would be right there taking our order.

Ports of Call: Key West: I could Take-or-Leave Key West. It was a small town filled with tourists from Holland America, Carnival and the Disney Cruise Line. The streets were lined with T-Shirt shops and costume jewelry shops. I wasn't interested. We ate lunch at a little restaurant called "Papa's" and enjoyed the conch fritters and coconut crusted grouper sandwich very much. It was an okay day and that's about all.

Belize: It's a small country just above Honduras that was released from communism in 1981. It's separated into sections ecologically and culturally. There is a large Mayan population as well as large Thai and Amish populations. The entire country has a population of just over 250,000 people. I found that it was impoverished but I never felt in any danger. On the bus ride back we saw a man sitting on the side of the road peeling an apple using his machete and that made me a bit nervous but I was protected by the moving vehicle! We chose the cave tubing tour. Parts of it were very enjoyable however I think it was overpriced at $89 a person. It was very hot in Belize so splashing into the cool waters and floating through a dark cave were very refreshing, however the mile and a half walk through the rainforest to get to the cave was kind of tedious. I feel that Belize is not yet ready for tourism but over the next twenty years it will be. Before I cruised I was planning on flying to Belize for a Scuba Diving trip because they have one of the longest Barrier Reef's in the world. The only way I would come back to Belize in the near future is if I were diving.

Cozumel: Cozumel has long been my favorite place in Mexico. It's people are friendly, it's packed with things to do and it's very accessible. Cozumel really knows how to do tourism. A word of warning; if you are not a drinker do not go to the bars. They walk around with a funnel and pour large quantities of beer or tequila down your throat. What can I say about Cozumel? The water is the most beautiful in the Caribbean, the local's are friendly, the beaches are beautiful and the shopping is amazing. We chose the Catamaran Sail and Snorkel since we didn't bring any of our diving equipment but wanted to be in the water anyway. At only $49 a person it's a great value. You snorkel for a short time then they bring you to a private beach to relax in the water, kayak, raft or just sit and drink the complimentary beer and margaritas. This is the tour I would recommend.

Progresso/Mirada: In Progresso we decided to just relax and jet ski. Carnival recommends that you do not jet ski because it is dangerous but I have been riding them for years and have never had a problem. The water is a beautiful emerald green and it was a hot day so it turned out to be the perfect activity. We caught a taxi from the pier to town and as soon as we got into town we found a local and told him we wanted to jet ski. He found the vendor for us, bargained for a price and set us all up. We of course tipped him and he was on his way. After jet skiing we walked around town and shopped. Make sure to haggle over prices in Cozumel, Belize and Progresso. They're all just dying to sell you something.

Days at Sea: Were very relaxing. We played slots in the casino, walked around the ship, sat at the pools and watched the games everyone was playing, drank, napped, ate. Overall they were the most relaxing days and they were truly my favorite.

Conclusion: The ship was very nicely done. Yes there was extensive use of plastic but again, the isn't the Louver. The staff was always helpful, our cabin steward was prompt and always willing to help us. Our room was always immaculate and we always had plenty of towels. Don't listen to what people tell you, there are plenty of chairs on deck and not once did anyone steal my towel. For the amount of money we paid we got an incredible deal. If you like to drink, eat fine food and enjoy yourself prepare to drop an extra $2000 to $3000 on the ship alone but believe me, it's worth every penny! I will definitely cruise again and will most likely try another cruise line so I can compare Carnival against others. I would also like to try another line because seeing as Carnival is the party ship it contains the party people and it was my experience that most of those party people were quite immature and had no decorum at all. I would recommend the Carnival Pride to anyone who wants a no-hassle, relaxing vacation where they have the option of doing everything or nothing at all.

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