Carnival Pride Ship Inspection Review

May 2010

By Tim Larison, CLIA Master Cruise Counselor

On a weekend trip to the Baltimore/Washington DC area Carnival Cruise Line hosted us for a ship inspection and lunch on the Carnival Pride - sailing Caribbean itineraries out of Baltimore year round in 2010.

The Carnival Pride was built in 2002. We found the ship to be bigger and nicer than the Carnival Ecstasy Class ships we had sailed on and toured in the past, though with not as many features as the newer Carnival Liberty and Carnival Dream cruise ships.

Like our other ship inspection reviews, this is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all the features of the ship. Rather we give our impressions of the ship’s features that stood out the most for us.

Baltimore Port

A big plus of the Carnival Pride is its home port of Baltimore. We spent two pre-cruise days touring the area, including the nearby National Aquarium on the morning of our ship inspection.

For our clients on the East Coast Baltimore is within easy driving distance of many cities.

See a video slideshow of our Aquarium tour and ship inspection pictures we took here.

Staterooms

We toured a number of stateroom types on the ship. The inside, oceanview, and balcony staterooms were similar to what we have seen on other Carnival ships. We especially liked the "wrap around" balcony suites (you can see a picture of one of these balconies in our slideshow). Also on the Pride Carnival offers obstructed view balcony staterooms for a lower price than regular priced balconies. We thought this was a good option for people who want some fresh air outside of their stateroom without paying the full balcony price.

Pool Area

The Pride had two pools. We liked the aft pool, with a retractable cover. The main pool was nice, too, but more crowded and noisier as it was next to the ship's buffet. Like all Carnival ships, the Pride features a fun waterslide for kids and kids at heart.

Dining

We were impressed with the size and variety of choices offered in the ship's buffet. On our visit the buffet had different ethnic food stations. An open staircase from the buffet led to David's Steakhouse - a dining experience for an extra fee that our Carnival guide said was "not to be missed".

We had a delicious lunch in the ship's main restaurant.

Other features

Unlike other Carnival ships we liked the subdued earth tone color scheme in the public areas of the Carinval Pride. The loud color scheme we have seen on other ships was absent from the Pride.

A spa, a theatre for the nightly show, entertainment lounges, a kids club area, and a library all help give guests an enjoyable cruise experience. Read more about the Carnival Pride at the Carnival website here.

Summary

We think the Carnival Pride is an excellent cruise option out of Baltimore. We especially like the 7 night itinierary that visits Half Moon Cay (a private island) and Grand Turk (where Carnival has built a new port facility).

Contact us for more information or if you would like a Carnival Sensation price quote for your family.

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© Larison Travel LLP, 2010.