CRUISE FUELS FONDNESS FOR SUNNY BAHAMAS
Carnival Pride’s rich itinerary leaves lasting impression on guests of all ages
It might surprise you to learn that, for all of the expedition, river and luxury cruises I like to write about, one of my favourite cruise lines is Carnival Cruise Lines (carnival.com). I’ve just returned from a week in the Bahamas aboard the 2,124-guest Carnival Pride, and I was not disappointed. If anything, I came away with the impression that Carnival continues to enhance its cruises in ways I hadn’t expected.
Sailing out of Baltimore ( just a stone’s throw from most of southern Ontario) Carnival Pride whisked me to the fun-in-the-sun ports of Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos; Freeport, Bahamas, and Carnival’s own private island, Half Moon Cay. The latter is actually owned by Holland America Line, but Carnival’s ships regularly call here in the summer months.
This is the quintessential beach-and-sun itinerary, with crystal clear waters and miles of sandy beaches in both Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay. Freeport’s more of a toss-up: I took in a brewery-and-city-tour that was pleasant enough, but other guests were less than enamoured with our final, very industrial, port of call after having spent two days in paradise.
Of course, you can do as much or as little as you want on this cruise. While many guests decided to either lay on the beach and/or swim all day, others took excursions that ranged from horseback riding to SeaDoo adventures. In Half Moon Cay, I enjoyed a great half-day cycling and hiking tour around the island. It’s all soft adventure that’s accessible to folks with a wide range of fitness levels, but still managed to give me the exercise I was hoping for — even as temperatures on the island soared past 30 C at mid-morning.
With three ports of call, this itinerary also featured three days at sea: two on the way down from Baltimore and one on the return.
Adults have no shortage of ways to pass their fun days at sea, from wacky pool competitions to late-night movies and deck parties under the stars. There are almost-nightly comedy performances at the Punchliner Comedy Club, Broadway-style shows in the ship’s three-storey-high show lounge, and trivia sessions in the ship’s coffee bar.
You might not expect it of Carnival, but the line is big on live music, with terrific performers scattered throughout the ship each evening, from the intimate piano bar to the ubiquitous steel drum band up on the pool deck.
Carnival also managed to whip up some of the best cocktails I’ve ever had at sea, courtesy of the Alchemy Bar on Deck 2. Tell the bartender what your favourite spirits are, and they’ll make a hand-crafted, off-menu drink in no time.
If the adults are happy, so are the kids. Carnival partnered with Dr. Seuss Enterprises a few years back to create its Seuss-a-Palooza program, designed to encourage kids to read and to bring Theodor Geisel’s classics to life at sea. Kids can participate in a Cat In the Hat-themed parade down the ship’s main promenade, take part in Dr. Seuss storytime in the main show lounge, or even indulge in a special Green Eggs and Ham sea day brunch.
On my voyage, the Cat in the Hat was running for president of the United States. Although it’s a lot of fun (think photo ops with the Cat and his VPs, Thing One and Thing Two), it has a real, honest purpose: to teach kids about the importance of voting; a subject that seems rather timely in the U.S.
If you’ve never been on Carnival before, Carnival Pride and her sisters (Carnival Miracle, Carnival Legend and Carnival Spirit) are great ships to try first. They carry fewer guests than most of the line’s other vessels, but have an exceptionally easy-to-navigate deck plan that clusters most public rooms from stem-to-stern on Decks 2 and 3.
If you’ve got a free week and are looking to go to the Caribbean, Carnival offers a fun, uncomplicated cruise experience that is consistently good, at a price that doesn’t break the bank. The line’s party-hard days of the ’90s are over; today’s Carnival caters to people of all ages and many walks of life — and does a darn good job at it.
Happy cruising. Visit portsandbows.com, sponsored by Expedia Cruise Ship Centers, 1-800-707-7327, www.cruiseshipcenters.com, for daily updates on the latest cruise news, best deals and behind-the-scenes stories from the industry. You can also sign up for an email newsletter on the site for even more cruise information. Aaron Saunders may be contacted directly at portsandbowsaaron@gmail.com