Our first cruise. We sailed on 9/21 aboard the Carnival Pride. We spent the night in Long Beach, and got up early to get breakfast before we took the cab over to the dock. Then it started. The waiting. We spent about an hour in line to get on the ship... not to bad, but not how I wanted to start our honeymoon.
We were in cabin 4239... aft of the ship, with an extended balcony. It was nice, but the shower was not designed for big guys like myself. We were seriously overpacked, and were grateful for the closets in the cabin. Our cabin steward (George) was beyond fantastic, and made sure we mentioned him in the comment card at the end.
Our dinner waiter (along with his busboy) were equally fantastic. The food in the dining room was good (we had the late seating). The food on the Lido deck, however, was another story. Neither one of us were too enthused about it.
We did Davids Supper Club on Monday. All I can say is "WOW". Definately worth the $30/person.
We only ran into rude employee the whole time..one of the photographers. The cruise director (Jeff) was hysterical. He announced on Saturday that he and his wife (a ship employee as well) had just found out she was pregnant. They also announced one of the waiters was retiring after 30 years of service... he got a standing ovation.
We were both sorry to come back home to Vegas, but both agreed we want to cruise again.
Thanks for your review. We're on the Pride in September out of Baltimore and have an aft cabin (6264), so we were interested to see how much bigger the balcony is.
Glad to hear you enjoyed the food, except on the Lido Deck, which is normally not known for being all that great. Can't wait to try David's - have heard others say they thoroughly enjoyed it.
As for the wait, your agent should have told you to arrive around 1:30 or so to avoid the long lines. Everyone gets there early so they can be the first on the ship, resulting in long lines when they first begin boarding. If you wait about 1-1/2 to 2 hours later, there are no lines.
Now that you're hooked on cruising, you'll have to try other lines so you can compare them and find something that matches your lifestyle.
We enjoyed the ports, but I found PV and Mazatlan to be extremely humid.. to the point of me being really uncomfortable. It was 95 degree's with 100% humidity. We both LOVED Cabo.
In PV we did the Tequila Factory tour. Great time, especially since I got blitzed on Tequila LOL. I normally don't drink the stuff, but fell in love with the "real" stuff. We bought a bottle to bring home with us, and I did like 7-8 shots on the tour. We also did the "sunset sail" and enjoyed it as well.
In Mazatlan, we did the "shopping, lunch, hotel" tour. We did some souvenier shopping, and had lunch in the Playa hotel (I think that's the name of it). After that, we got to swim in the ocean (you can also use the pool, but I can do that at any hotel) We also saw one of the native indian groups perform, and they were awe inspiring to say the least.
In Cabo, we did the snokeling, and I had a FANTASTIC time. Wife enjoyed it, but not as much as I did. We ate lunch at the shrimp factory (follow the road up from the lighthouse, and you'll walk right into it) and enjoyed the people watching.
Cruiseplanner... it was a great excursion. We boarded a tour bus at the dock in PV, and took a ride to the first factory. This factory was "modernized"... using all machinary to make the tequila. The tour guide on the bus was informative, and our "host" at the factory was a riot!! They gave us a tour, and then it was into the "tasting" room. He gave us a lowdown on each tequila, and this is where we bought our bottle. They buy their barrels from Jack Daniels, and our bottle was aged for 12 months in one of these barrels. They also have "blanco" meaning it's not age, another that's aged for 9 months, plus a coffee flavored tequila (which is actually quite good). I did the majority of my "tastings" here. We also got something to eat (taco's and nacho's) at their little diner. From there, we got back on the bus for an across town ride, to an "authentic" factory tour. They still use donkey's to pull the wheel. I did one shot here and finally threw in the towl. (I think my exact words were "that's it, I'm done!!!"). I had a good buzz going. After the second factory, they took us to some shopping district for a little bit, and then on a tour of "old" puerto vallerta. They showed us where night of the iguana was filmed, which was neat.
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We survived!!
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I am so glad to hear you had a great cruise and want to cruise again
Good luck on choosing your next one
Thanks! Enjoyed your report and glad you enjoyed your cruise!
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