We are a couple in our 60s; this was our 22nd cruise. Our friends came along, and this was only their 2nd cruise. Although we hadn't sailed on Carnival in 8 years, Pride's home port of Baltimore is only a 2-hour drive, so it's very convenient. We've never been huge fans of Carnival (this is our 5th time on Carnival and 2nd time on Pride), but we thought we'd give them one more chance to impress us. They failed. Miserably.

Embarkation was a bit of a surprise, in that when they assign you a specific time, they mean it! We got there about an hour early for our 2:30 assigned time, and we waited in line outdoors for an hour. Once inside, all went smoothly... till we got on board.

I need to stop here and say that 8 years ago, on our last Pride sailing, we were appalled at how very ugly it was! The Renaissance must have not been the most attractive era in history. We hoped the recent re-do in dry dock improved things. It did-- most furniture was much more attractive (or less ugly, depending how you look at it), and the myriad pictures with nude women (and defaced nipples) were gone. An improvement, for sure-- but I still think this ship is ugly! Read more