Carnival Pride 7-Day Winter Cruise: Day 1 (Baltimore)

Walking onboard, you enter a 10 story, floor to ceiling glitzy atrium. Shining, gold and glass elevators float up and down the right side wall while sunlight pours through the red glass that’s part of the funnel at the top. Your eyes are immediately overwhelmed with Avant-Garde art and paintings. The Pride and the other Spirit Class ships have some of my favorite entrances of any ship I’ve been on. This area will be busy throughout the rest of the cruise, with dance parties and sing-alongs or photos on the way to dinner.

Walking onboard, you enter a 10 story, floor to ceiling glitzy atrium. Shining, gold and glass elevators float up and down the right side wall while sunlight pours through the red glass that’s part of the funnel at the top. Your eyes are immediately overwhelmed with Avant-Garde art and paintings. The Pride and the other Spirit Class ships have some of my favorite entrances of any ship I’ve been on. This area will be busy throughout the rest of the cruise, with dance parties and sing-alongs or photos on the way to dinner.

We proceed to the right, walking along the promenade that winds through the casino. Stale smoke lingered in the air, and the usually bright and busy slot machines were sleeping with dark screens (the casino is not open while in port). This was the least smoky I ever saw the Pride casino; while a decent size, it was always smoky. It was the only indoor place to smoke on a winter cruise, so that might explain it. It was unbearable to walkthrough later in the cruise, though.

We continued walking through the lounge section of the ship. A grand piano sat alongside the walkway, but it was not used at all during our cruise. The area had lots of seating and leather loungers with large windows overlooking the ocean. While it looked like just a pass-through, this space would be filled with trivia contests and games during the week.

Finally, we arrived at the front of the ship. In front of us was the Taj Mahal, a 3-story theater that seats 1,167 people (almost half the ship). Its class and size can’t be met by the newer Carnival ships whose theaters are much smaller and industrial looking. The seating is very roomy and there are dedicated tables to hold drinks and bingo cards.

For this occasion, though, we went down the stairs to the Butterflies lounge. This room was used for activities like karaoke, comedy (Punchliner Comedy Club), smaller scale games, and art auctions. The decor was as outrageous as the rest of the ship, with large metal butterflies adorning the ceiling and a gentle slope with seating. It made a great venue for the wedding and perfectly suited the couple (they took the same cruise on the Pride a year prior where they got engaged).

Most of the staff helping with the wedding ceremony itself were actually from the shore. The wedding planners and officiant came aboard with us and coordinated everything. It was a beautiful ceremony and definitely a unique wedding experience as a guest.

After the ceremony, we headed to the other side of the ship for the reception, which was in Beauties nightclub. Beauties is their dance club, complete with neon-colored torso decorations and a light-up dance floor. A smaller venue than the Butterfly Lounge, it was set up with cocktails and food on the dance floor. There really was no dancing except for the bride and groom’s first dance; the rest of the 2 hours was socializing and eating.

The reception finished, and the guests who weren’t going on the cruise had to debark around 2 pm. Many expressed regret that they weren’t staying on the ship. Everyone else went back to their own rooms to settle and explore the ship. We’d see each other at early dining, where we’d all sit together.

Thankfully, our bags already arrived in our room (which was impressive because it was only 2pm), so we could change out of our formal attire and continue to explore the ship. It was only 40 degrees out, so we wore sweatshirts and didn’t plan on spending too much time outside. We had a balcony room on Deck 6; a nice location because it basically halfway between the decks with the main action; Deck 2 and Deck 9.

The balcony room was relatively spacious for a cruise ship, but those unfamiliar with cruising might be surprised on the accommodation size; cruise ship rooms are notoriously small. Most cabins are fine for two people, but if start thinking about 3 or 4 adults in a room (which is available), it’s going to be very cramped.

The cabin had two twin beds that could convert to a king and a couch. A modest sized flat screen TV hung on the wall,, and the light poured in through the large window and balcony door. The balcony had two chairs and a small table so you could sit out there and relax in the sea air.

The Pride has one dining room with 2 levels. Typically it’s set time dining on the first floor and any time dining on the second floor. It was a bustling and loud room that felt quite huge. It went all the way to the back of the ship and had great views of the ocean. The lines for the first night of dinner are always the worst, as people have to wait to find where their tables are and how to get to them. The rest of the cruise, though, lines for dinner were non-existent.

We met up with the bride and groom and the other guests; we had 2 large tables next to each other. The waiters came out and introduced themselves. One of the main reasons I always choose set time dining when I cruise on Carnival is I like having the same waiters every night. The head waiter was Leondardo, and he just transferred from another Carnival ship. Throughout the cruise, he always greeted us by name, remembered what drinks we liked and had them waiting for us, and gave his opinions on what to do at the upcoming ports.