Sailing on the Carnival Pride is a good case of déjà vu all over again

   Out to Sea for July 7/18

   (c) By Jim and Barb Fox

   When it comes to cruise ships, bigger is not always better for many cruisers.

   In these days of super-sized ships – 5,000-passengers and more – there are lots of people who prefer the smaller, more intimate experience with just half that guest cargo.

  Lending a hand is writer Jim Fox with the Carnival Conquest and Carnival Pride in port at Grand Turk. (Barbara Fox photo)

   It’s a case of déjà vu all over again (thanks, Yogi Berra) with the trend to take repeat cruises on familiar and favourite ships as we did for a family cruise recently back onboard Carnival Pride.

   We weren’t the only ones as we’ve found there are many other fans of the ship – many from Canada – visiting the same ports in the Bahamas/Caribbean round-trip from the convenient port of Baltimore.

   The little kids even got us to book the same larger stateroom with bunk beds and balcony (near the food and top-side water park).

    And, it wasn’t a case of finding all the amenities on board and your way back to your stateroom on the last day, as can sometimes happen taking a week to get used to a mega ship.

   “Carnival Pride’s cruises from Baltimore have been among our most popular offerings since we launched the port’s first year-round cruise service in 2009, carrying upwards of 115,000 guests annually,” said Vance Gulliksen, Carnival Cruise Lines senior public relations manager.

   “In addition to all the fun amenities and attractions on the ship, guests enjoy the convenience of sailing from Baltimore and the opportunity to extend their cruise with a pre- or post-cruise land stay,” he added.

   Also mentioned by passengers are the congenial and efficient crew members and their attention to detail.

  Two Carnival ships are in port together in the Turks and Caicos Islands. (Jim Fox photo)

   The Spirit Class ship was built in 2001 and has gone through several refurbishments in dry-dock to keep her youthful appearance and another facelift and upgrade are planned early next year.

   She has 1,062 staterooms, most with private balconies, and the most recent upgrades added WaterWorks with waterslides and a splash park atop the ship, Hasbro the Game Show, a sports bar and huge Seaside Theatre.

   Guy’s fries, fish tacos

Ooey, gooey Guy Fieri’s burger and fries on the Carnival Pride. (Jim Fox photo)

   Also added were Guy’s Burger Joint (from Food Network’s Guy Fieri), the BlueIguana Cantina (for morning huevos rancheros, and fish tacos and burritos through the day), BlueIguana Tequila Bar and Bonsai Sushi.

   Other dining options are David’s Steakhouse at an additional charge of $35 a person offering fine dining including seafood, refined service and a good selection of wines as well as captivating views of the ocean.

   The main dining room is the Normandie Restaurant, there’s casual buffet dining in the Mermaid’s Grill on the Lido Deck, a chef’s table experience, coffee bar, 24-hour room service and always available pizza that can also be ordered for delivery anywhere on the ship from your phone.

   During the evenings there is live music throughout the ship along with the Beauties dance club, Taj Mahal Theatre, piano bar and the Butterflies Lounge for the Punchliner Comedy Club.

   There is also a casino, art gallery, video arcade, shops, a retracting roof pool and Serenity for adults only with an outdoor pool, movie theatre and a favourite for kids is Cherry on Top, a candy store.

There’s booze in the blender at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville in the Turks and Caicos. (Jim Fox photo)

   Carnival Pride offers year-round sailings round-trip Baltimore with a week to the Bahamas/Caribbean and Bermuda and 14-day voyages called Carnival Journeys to the Southern Caribbean.

   Bon voyage

   Whatever your pleasure, Carnival Cruise Line’s fleet of “Fun Ships” numbers 26 vessels and is called the “world’s most popular cruise line.”

It’s a beach day for several thousand people on two Carnival ships in the Caribbean. (Barbara Fox photo)

   It has three new ships on order – Carnival Panorama set to debut in 2019 and two new 180,000-ton ships in 2020 and 2022.

   Its parent company, Carnival Corporation, operates 103 ships visiting more than 700 ports around the world and has 18 new ships scheduled to be delivered by 2023.

   To find out more: carnival.com; 1-800-CARNIVAL; or contact a travel agent.

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Jim and Barb Fox can be reached at outtosea50@hotmail.com

For more Out to Sea trip tips: http://outtoseatravel.blogspot.ca