Sandy Claws brought the family a cruise!
People are funny about cruises. They either love or hate them. Before I went on my first cruise in 2011, I was sure that I would belong to the latter camp. I am an active holidayer, and the thought of being stuck on a ship with two thousand others did not appeal to me. I have also suffered from seasickness, and I worried about how I would handle that.
So I found myself delighted when I realized that I loved a cruise holiday. It was super-fun and relaxing, I didn't get sick and I laughed a lot every single day of the cruise. I liked it so much that RB and I talked about taking another. I decided to blog about this second cruise, so that people have an idea of what it's like and what you might experience.
And so, without further ado, let me introduce you to the Carnival Pride:
And so, without further ado, let me introduce you to the Carnival Pride:
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Isn't she a beaut?
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| Here we are at port, probably in Grand Cay |
And a last glimpse of the ship, shot from a tender (a small boat that ferries passengers from sea to shore):
You can't really understand the magnitude of the ship until you're onboard - it's truly enormous.
So without further ado, let me tell you all about the food and booze, cabins, onboard activities and our days in port.
Food and Drink
Food is important. For some it's their raison d'être. I might fall into that category and so I was very happy to see that there were two daily menus with a lot of choices:
1) the "everyday" menu, in which all items are always available
2) the "today" menu, which changes daily.
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| the mahi mahi was delectable, and my kids wouldn't stop eating the flat iron steak |
While the Normandie (the main dining room on the 3rd floor) is open only for breakfast (7am - 1pm) and dinner (5:45pm - 10ish), there is usually a buffet open on the Lido (9th floor), and the Pizza Pirate bar (made-to-order, surprisingly delicious, thin-crust pizza) and the grill (fries, chicken fingers, hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken burgers et cetera) never close. You can also help yourself to frozen yogurt and soft-serve ice cream 24-7.
Some of the food we ate was not as hot as I would prefer it to be (e.g. filet mignon); however, I found the presentation and preparation of all of the dishes to be excellent, and the ingredients fresh. The chefs were particularly skilled at preparing fish and I ordered it frequently, sometimes twice a day. Yes, it was a bummer that both of my steaks were lukewarm. I should have sent them back immediately. If I was in a restaurant on land, as opposed to an onboard restaurant, I would have sent the food back to the kitchen pronto. I have no qualms about doing that. I am a bit annoyed with myself for settling for a subpar steak. Coulda, woulda, shoulda. Bah.
One of my favourite meals was escargot, and martini braised basa fillet with tomato, chili, and fennel and on another day, it was haddock in lemon sauce. I was usually too full for dessert, but I twice tried the chocolate melting cake served with vanilla ice cream, which is sinful and just a bit too rich to finish. Nathaniel had this every night of the cruise!
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| image from zydecocruiser.net |
My jaw dropped one morning when Nathaniel returned to our table with a gigantic mound of bacon - there must have been 15-20 strips! I admonished him for being greedy; he said that he hadn't asked for all that bacon, but RB and the kids devoured it in seconds. Good thing they have a collective high metabolism. I saw many, many individuals eating what amounted to entire packages of bacon in one sitting.
At a food and wine pairing at David's, the $35-a-plate steakhouse, the chef showed us a piece of cheesecake. It was titanic. I could not have finished that piece of cake if it was all that I had to eat for dinner. On our way out of the restaurant, one of the kids pointed at the cheesecake again, indicating its size and I remarked, "that's why so many people are obese," earning me a snarky glare from the steakhouse manager. I hope I gave her something to think about.
Another word about David's, which Carnival bills as "the reservations only, alternative dining room". The restaurant is located at the highest point of the ship and it is totally over-the-top. With its faux David and gigantic frescoes, flashy lights and atrium, it is Disney meets Italy; however, it really does afford stunning views of the sea and sky:
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| image from cruiz.info |
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| Casino-esque for sure |
We did not dine at David's; however, we did attend a free demonstration in which the chefs prepared some of the restaurant's specialties and offered us small plates: mushroom cappuccino, spinach salad with blue cheese dressing, Beef Stroganoff and Grand Marnier cheesecake. We watched a chef ice and decorate a layer cake, while another professional carved flowers and other designs into a watermelon:
On another occasion, we paid $15 for a food and wine pairing: Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon were the wines on offer. The sommelier was knowledgeable and interesting; I enjoyed the food and wine pairing immensely.
Each morning and evening we dined in the Normandie restaurant because I like table service and white linens. We could have dined with the riff-raff in the buffet on the 9th floor, but that's a bit food court-ish for my taste. Dinner was always fun and delicious; we relished trying the "didjas": frog legs, shark, alligator fritters, sashimi, escargots and tree rat (heh heh).
Staff was required to wear identification bearing their name and homeland. I enjoyed seeing the countries of origin (only 7 of the onboard staff were American).
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| a typical table in the Normandie dining room |
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| making dinner selections |
We elected to choose the "dine on your time" dinner package. We did not want to be stuck with the same dinner hour every evening as the onboard activities change, and we were concerned that we might miss out on some fun. As it turned out, we ate between the hours of 5 and 6 every evening anyway.
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| The two floors of the Normandie image from public.fotki.com |
Booze and Other Liquids
While the cruise is billed as all-inclusive, it should be noted that quite a few things are extra (booze, bingo, gambling, specialty coffees, excursions). I saw no evidence of free drinks; however, there were nightly happy hours (all drinks $1 off if you wear white!). Hardly a savings for cheapskates like us.
Because I like wine, we opted for the 5-bottle package of wine with dinner for $114 (three tiers, we went for the least expensive one although I wanted the $160 package - regretting that now). Beer started at $4.95, wine at $7 a glass and fancy drinks at $8.95.
Every adult is permitted to bring a 750-ml bottle of wine or champagne onboard. We of course did this, but forgot a corkscrew.
If you wanted a booze cruise, you would pay for it. The ship offered a $49.95 daily drinking pass, which would get a party person up to 15 drinks of their choice, no sharing allowed. All adults sharing a room would have to purchase this same package (e.g. if RB ordered it, I would also have to opt in or they wouldn't sell it to him). We did not take "advantage" of the $100 all-you-can-drink pass per day. I definitely have a low tolerance, and it would not have been worth it.
Water, iced tea, lemonade, tea and coffee were always available at no charge. Fruit juices (except at breakfast) and soft drinks were extras. Again, you could purchase a special cup for the kids so that they could guzzle pop all week, but we did not. The kids have enough cavities.
Cabins
Our cabin on the 6th floor had one king bed, or rather, two singles jammed together to make one. This was not apparent to me while I lounged and/or slept, as there was a large and cushy cover on the mattresses. The bed was extremely comfortable. The kids had bunk beds. They fought over the top bunk. All the time.
Here's a view of our cabin. I am reclining on the bed - you can see my foot. There's a tv and mini-fridge (cold Heineken $5.95). Storage is great with three closets and plenty of cupboards and drawers (not visible). Our balcony is to my right and the bathroom is to the left. A word on shower pressure: I loathe a weak, trickly shower. I need good pressure. For whatever reason, the water pressure on board is better than most 4 and 5 star hotels. The water is also hot and plentiful. For this reason alone, I recommend that you take a cruise NOW.
I slept like the dead every night and RB and the kids also slept well. The room temperature was perfect; the room couldn't have been better.
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| we watched very little tv while cruising - there's too much to do! |
Our cabin steward, Nenjah, attended our room twice daily. He made the beds, tidied up the bathroom, provided clean towels and dealt with any special requests (we needed a corkscrew once and he delivered it). The kids loved the chocolates and towel creatures:
Gwen liked these creations so much, that she and I had to attended a towel-folding seminar with the Cruise Director in the Taj Mahal (the ship's over-the-top theatre):
We even spent $12 on the towel folding book!
Gwen liked these creations so much, that she and I had to attended a towel-folding seminar with the Cruise Director in the Taj Mahal (the ship's over-the-top theatre):
We even spent $12 on the towel folding book!
Because I know that you are all here for the towel animals...
On the day that I took these photos, we were supposed to be docking in Freeport. The previous day, we were docked in Half Moon Cay where we swam, sunbathed and snorkelled merrily. Upon our return to the ship, the captain notified us that one of the ship's engines had failed and could not be repaired until we arrived in Baltimore, meaning that we would not be stopping in Freeport. I was fine with this as I had been to Freeport before, and the sunburn on my back was beginning to ache. To pacify their passengers, Carnival offered every cabin $200 in onboard credit, and another $60 per person in refunds, plus the chance to book your next cruise at 25% off (before mid-2016). Nenjah told me that the towel creatures on the deck chairs were there to make people happy. They certainly made Gwen happy!
On the day that I took these photos, we were supposed to be docking in Freeport. The previous day, we were docked in Half Moon Cay where we swam, sunbathed and snorkelled merrily. Upon our return to the ship, the captain notified us that one of the ship's engines had failed and could not be repaired until we arrived in Baltimore, meaning that we would not be stopping in Freeport. I was fine with this as I had been to Freeport before, and the sunburn on my back was beginning to ache. To pacify their passengers, Carnival offered every cabin $200 in onboard credit, and another $60 per person in refunds, plus the chance to book your next cruise at 25% off (before mid-2016). Nenjah told me that the towel creatures on the deck chairs were there to make people happy. They certainly made Gwen happy!
Onboard Activities
There really is something for everyone on a cruise. On days at sea, you can read and relax, and swim or sit in the hot tub:
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| on our balcony, trying to spy sealife |
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| the kids swam constantly |
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| Gwen in some sort of contest in which she had two minutes to put on as much clothing as possible |
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| Kids are high-fiving after they realize they've won. Genuine joy here. |
Other fun things to do: work out in the fitness centre; watch movies, live musicals and theatre in the Taj Mahal; participate in trivia, games, and contests; take dance classes; attend lectures (anti-aging, money management, excursion tips, back pain etc); play basketball or mini-golf; hang out in Camp Carnival with other kids; people-watch; stroll the decks and look out to sea; shop; make crafts; hang in the casino; play board games; relax in the library; drink wine and chat; swim or hang out in the hot tub; relax in the adults only area etc. I spent most of my time reading, people-watching, knitting, sewing, and watching the kids swim, which they did constantly. If we were the kind of parents who wanted their own vacation, we could have sent the the kids to Camp Carnival every day and night. I think they went once. They met some friends and that was it. They were much more into the pool.
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| outside the Taj Mahal theatre |
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| in the Atrium |
In the photo below, the kids are posing with Elton, the ship's magician. He was truly amazing and ridiculously funny. The kids would not leave him alone, but he was good-natured and tolerated all manner of parasitic and overly familiar behaviour. He made cantaloupes and oranges appear out of thin air, and had an astonishing repertoire of card, ball and string tricks. My favourite? The disappearing child trick, natch.
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| Ice carving demo |
We could have purchased this portrait for the bargain price of $21.99, but I was reduced to "taking a picture of the picture" because I wasn't going to spring for it. As funny as it was, I'd like to forget it. I can still feel the pain.
Here's the picture that we purchased. Another picture of a picture because I don't have a scanner. And no, we did not plan the colour coordination, although it worked out nicely!
Days in Port and Excursions
Grand Turk was our first stop, on the third day of the cruise. We hung out on the beach for an hour and a half before embarking on our "Ultimate Snorkelling Adventure" excursion. It poured for 10 minutes, but cleared up immediately with no rain for the remainder of the day.
You can see that it's about to pour:
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| beachcombing before snorkeling |
On the boat, on our way to the reefs:
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| the equipment provided looked bad but worked well |
The snorkelling was excellent, we saw many schools of fish just like these (I think they're Blue Tangs) and myriad varieties of sea life:
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| image from chukka.com |
Half Moon Cay
We took tenders to the shore of Half Moon Cay. The ride was less than 10 minutes; each boat held 300 passengers, with no seats to spare. We spent the day in the sunshine (well, RB and the kids did, I relaxed in the shade with a book and a pina colada, then went for a walk on the beach where I stepped on no less than two of the spikiest burrs imaginable). The cruise ship had an island barbecue set up for us with jerk chicken, burgers and dogs, salads, fresh fruit and desserts. This was an unexpected surprise; I thought we would have to pay for lunch.
Well, I am going to stop abruptly here as I'm sick of writing about the cruise and it's time to watch Survivor (yes, I'm a Survivor junkie).
Here is a video that RB made of our last cruise (2011). We were on the same boat (The Pride), but stopped at different ports (Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay, Freeport):
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| that's the Pride in the background |
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| the boys, at play in the sand |
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| I hung out in the shade because I'm an idiot and didn't apply enough sunscreen the day before |
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| gorgeous bougainvillea |
Well, I am going to stop abruptly here as I'm sick of writing about the cruise and it's time to watch Survivor (yes, I'm a Survivor junkie).
Here is a video that RB made of our last cruise (2011). We were on the same boat (The Pride), but stopped at different ports (Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay, Freeport):
Musical pairing is Cruisin' (of course!) by Smoky Robinson:
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