Baltimore - Florida - Nassau - Freeport - Baltimore
January 2011
Another month and another cruise! We most certainly have become "cruise addicts" and are actively chasing bargains. We cruised aboard Carnival Miracle back in June and shortly afterward received an email about this "Early Saver" opportunity. A week on a ship in a balcony cabin for less than $500/pp AND from a port we don't have to fly to... couldn't resist! A couple clicks later and it was booked.
This cruise began and ended in Baltimore which for us was a breeze to drive to. Entrance to the terminal was right off I95 and parking was a reasonable $15/day. We arrived at the gate around 10:45am and had to sit in the car until 11:30am before they started letting us in. The process involved dropping off bags then driving up to an SUV to pay for the parking. We chose to use cash to expedite the process. Once the car was parked we headed into the terminal, thru security, checked in, and found ourselves aboard ship by 12:30. Everything went along without a hitch.
Cabins weren't ready until after 2pm so we headed up to the Mermaid's Grille on deck 9 for lunch. It seemed as though we were ahead of the crowd because things were nowhere near as chaotic as buffets can be on embarkation day.
Click on the pictures for a larger view and some additional comments.
Our cabin for this adventure was billed as an "Obstructed Balcony" on deck 5. Basically, the life boats are in front of you making it impossible to look DOWN but we certainly could see over them. As for the cabin itself, it's pretty typical with more than enough space for sleeping, storage, and bio-breaks. Here are some pictures.....
We departed Baltimore late in the afternoon so we went on deck to capture some images of the departure. We're former Chesapeake Bay sailors so going by Ft. McHenry, Ft. Carroll, and under the Key Bridge was nothing new but doing it from 9 decks up was certainly different. Couldn't resist capturing some sunsets in the process.
As you might expect, the first couple days can be pretty chilly this time of year making it uncomfortable to sit out by the pool. We cruised last month on NCL Jewel and had a difficult time finding comfortable and quiet indoor spaces to kick back and read our Kindles during the cold days at sea. I can't describe how much more we enjoyed Pride because of an abundance of indoor seating space on decks 2 and 3. Pride was a great ship to be on when it's to cold outside for comfort.
The first port of call was Port Canaveral. Last month we arrived here to find 50 degree weather which was perfect for walking around the Kennedy Space Center. This time around it was in the low 70's so we decided to take the free shuttle over to Ron Jon's and Coco Beach. While at the beach, I did some geocaches and walked the mile or so of beach to the Coco Beach Pier. It was a picture perfect day for taking our cameras for a stroll along the beach. We stopped at Ron Jon's even though we aren't "surfers".
The second port of call was Nassau in the Bahamas. This was our third visit to Nassau but we had never been to the Atlantis Resort. We decided to take the water taxi across the harbor to Paradise Island. Our goal was to walk thru the Village, check out the glass sculptures in the casino, then head over to the public beach. Lots of walking but mission accomplished!
The third port of call was Freeport in the Bahamas. The ship docks in a rather industrial area so doing anything of interest meant getting into a taxi. We opted to take a taxi ($5/pp/each way) to Port Lucaya. The primary activity in the area is shopping. The area had some of the upscale jewelry shops but also had a "straw market". There was also a beach located on the other side of the nearby hotel. A couple hours around the shops was way more than we needed so we went over and checked out the beach. Unfortunately a whole lot of wind and rain was on the way so we grabbed a cab back to the ship. I should mention that we stopped for coffee in a rather crowded cafe and shared a table with a couple from England who retired and moved to the island three years ago. The time we spent with them hearing about life in Freeport was the hi-light of the cruise for us.
After Freeport, it was a sea day back to Baltimore. The wind and rain we encountered in Freeport stayed with us all the way to Baltimore. Outdoor areas of the ship were closed off because of the sea state and high winds (50+) but Pride cut thru it very nicely. The Chesapeake Bay was covered in skim ice as we made our way into the Patapsco River.
The disembarkation process seemed long but was the most orderly we've seen. Following breakfast, we retrieved our bags from the cabin then positioned ourselves in one of the comfortable seating areas on deck 2 to wait our turn to leave. We decided to use the "self assist" process this time around.
I should also mention that we again participated in the Cruise Critic "Roll Call" for this particular cruise. We even stepped forward and organized a "Meet & Greet" and had about 30 sign up. I made contact with Carnival's guest services department and they were very helpful in reserving a lounge for us. Carnival also included a note about the M&G in the days "Fun Times" schedule. Jamie the Cruise Director and her assistant stopped in to meet us which was much appreciated.
For the photographers among you: I again found room to pack my DSLR and lenses and, this time, even Kathy took hers along. So, images taken with a Nikon D300 are Joes. Nikon D60 images are Kathy's. This was also the second time we geotagged our images with a Sony GPS-CS3KA.
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