Carnival Pride Review
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The Trip:
Now that our kids are grown, my wife and I prefer cruising in late August/early September for several reasons - not the least of which is to take advantage of back-to-school while its still warm enough to swim and enjoy the sun. This year was no different, and we knew the risk of booking during hurricane season - despite the fact that we'd been lucky over the previous 4 cruises and knew the odds were starting stack up against us. Previously we've had minor inconveniences, but nothing major. Well, we finally had a cruise that had to be redirected due to a hurricane, and it really wasn't that bad of an experience. We had a couple of days of rough weather (5-10 foot swells), but we wore the seasick patch and fared pretty well. Other people who had nothing or waited too late to take Dramamine didn't fare as well for 2 of the days, but I have to thank Carnival for redirecting south along the far edge of the storm to Grand Turk and Amber Cove rather than going north to New England or Canada - we were able to enjoy the warm weather and swim/sunbathe all 7 days.
The Ship:
Cabin Review
Extended Balcony
My wife and I prefer to be amidships in case of rough weather, and deck 7 gets us close to the Lido deck without concern for noise that some mention on deck 8. Cabin 7192 fit the bill, with the added benefit of being near the amidships stairs/elevators without being too close to be noisy. The room itself is not overly large, but comfortable. The first day or 2 we did have an odd chemical scent in the bathroom, but it seemed to dissipate over the trip. The balcony is a good size, and the fact that the room is recessed a little bit from the line of the ship meant that the lido deck made for a nice little overhang. My wife and I sat out one night and watched an amazing lightning storm on the balcony and were covered from the rain; it also provided a nice shade during the day.