Carnival Pride

The 2002-built Carnival Pride cruise ship is the second of four Spirit-class CCL liners, together with Miracle, Spirit and Legend. The boat cost USD 375 million to build and was last refurbished in 2019.

The vessel (IMO number 9223954) is currently Panama-flagged (MMSI 354215000) and registered in Colon.

History - construction and ownership

Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) is a US shipping company, trademarked brand and subsidiary of Carnival Corporation (shipowner). CCL was founded in 1972 as an independent company by Ted Arison (1924-1999, co-founder of NCL Norwegian). Carnival Cruise Lines has the Corporation's largest fleet as both a number of vessels and GT tonnage (ship sizes and capacities). CCL has over 1/5 of the cruise industry's worldwide market.

The 2100-passenger ship Carnival Pride introduced some significant firsts for the company, including onboard wedding chapels and alternative restaurants. Spirit-class ships also boast an impressive 80% ratio of outside cabins and lots of nice little touches such as 'designer' martinis and museum-quality artwork.

Decks and Cabins

Carnival Pride staterooms (1062 total, in 28 categories) include 50 Suites, 634 Balcony, 171 Oceanview and 215 Inside cabins. The ship has 16 wheelchair-accessible cabins but no Spa cabins. Most cabins are sized 185 ft2 (17 m2). Most cabin balconies are sized 40 ft2 (4 m2). Suites are 4 types (Grand, Vista, Ocean, Junior), the largest are Grand Suites (300 ft2 / 28 m2 plus 115 ft2 / 11 m2 terrace).

The boat has 12 passenger decks of which 6 are with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

It's surprising that there is only one main restaurant on such a big ship, but the huge stern-located Normandie Restaurant works surprisingly well. With windows on three sides and design which cantilevers the restaurant's upper level over most of the lower one, Normandie somehow manages to baffle the noise of 1,000 cruisers. For a casual meal, head to ship's Lido Deck. Its entire back half is dedicated to dining tables and food stations. The Mermaid Grille also serves as a casual dinner alternative, and Mermaid Bistro is ship's buffet-style dining option. Instead of offering one buffet line, it divides the stations into small groupings spread around the space and surrounded with tables. Also on the Lido Deck, free of charge, are Guy's Burger Joint and BlueIguana Cantina. Carnival Pride has expanded its international offerings by including Bonsai Sushi, which is not just a sushi bar, but entire Asian restaurant. A really fine dining establishment is the luxury of David's Steakhouse, Pride's alternative dining room positioned at the top of the atrium, beneath the red glass dome. David's is reservations-only and there is a $35 surcharge, which is quite modest considering the quality and quantity of the meal served.

Follows the complete list of Carnival Pride restaurants and food bars.

• Normandie Restaurant (1250-seat aft Dining Room, with two fixed dinner seatings, or “Your Time Dining”; offers “Seuss At Sea” themed breakfasts for $5; with the Captain’s Club Room restaurant annex).
• David’s Steakhouse (156-seat reservations-only restaurant, serving seafood and prime beef steaks; with dance floor and stage for live performances)
• Mermaid’s Grille Lido Buffet Restaurant (1458-seat self-service restaurant with complimentary food stations; operates as dinner bistro in the evenings)
• Sushi Bar (complimentary).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The liner's onboard collection has artworks of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Botticelli, as well as architectural details of Ancient Greece, Byzantine Empire, Renaissance Italy, Beaux-Arts France, Victorian England. CCL's long-time interior projector, Joe Farcus, chose “Icons of Beauty” as the vessel's theme: beauty in life, art, architecture, the human body, and the human spirit. The ship has 16 bars and lounges, 4 swimming pools and 4 hot tubs. The well-equipped kids' center Camp Carnival provides complimentary activities, luring families with children of all ages.

The Taj Mahal Theater (main show lounge) hosts elaborate grand-scale show productions. Playlist Productions are presented at night with short song-and-dance experiences and themes ranging from the '80s to Havana Nights. During the day, families can participate in Hasbro, The Game Show live.

Follows the complete list of Carnival Pride lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Butterflies Lounge (484-seat, hosts Punchliner Comedy Club/brunch)
• Beauties Disco and Nightclub (118-seat, 2-level Dance Club)
• Taj Mahal Theatre (1167-seat, 3-level main show lounge, also used for movies, bingo games, game shows)
• Crystal Card Room (20-seat)
• The Piazza Cafe (112-seat specialty coffee bar and patisserie)
• Perfect Game Bar (67-seat sports bar); Florentine Lobby Lounge (85-seat wine bar); Ivory Bar (106-seat piano bar); Snack Bar, Towel Bar; Raphael Foyer Lounge and Bar (66-seat)
• Starry Night Jazz Club (135-seat jazz lounge)
• The Winner’s Club Casino (278-seat, served by Winners Bar)
• Pride Atrium Renaissance Lobby (9-deck high midship open area with dance floor and stage, served by 147-seat Renaissance Lobby Bar)
• Sunset Garden Interior Promenade (52-seat)
• Nobel Library and Internet Cafe (23-seat, 24-hour Internet computers)
• Wedding Chapel (30-seat)
• Via Veneto Upper Promenade (23-seat)
• The Fun Shops (offers “Bon Voyage” items, duty-free liquor, jewelry, fashion boutiques, souvenirs, logo items); Formalities Shop (tuxedo rentals, special occasion gifts); Studio Photo Gallery and Shop
• Real Virtuality Video Games Arcade (24-hour)
• Circle C (kids' lounge complimentary area with video games, parties, movies, planned activities)
• Camp Carnival (aft located kids' lounge area with complimentary kids programs and supervised activities)
• Spa Carnival complex (with Steam Rooms, Saunas, Whirlpool, 10 Treatment Rooms, The Lock Beauty Salon and Fitness Center)
• Serenity (adult-only relaxation area with Whirlpool, Pool, Bar and sunbathing area with lounges)
• Club O2 (teens club lounge with video games, movies, karaoke, and themed parties)
• Aqua Park (with 72-ft Twister Waterslide, kids pool play area)
• Volleyball-Basketball Court; 9-hole Mini-Golf Course; Jogging Track, Shuffleboard.

Itineraries

Carnival Pride itinerary program is based on roundtrips from homeport Tampa (Florida USA), with 6-7-8-day Western Caribbean (including Panama Canal/Gatun Lake). Pride's Tampa homeporting started in January 2017.

In June 2022, the liner started an ex-UK program based on homeporting in Dover England and 9-day and 12-day itineraries visiting ports in the UK (Scotland, Wales, Ireland), Atlantic Europe (Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Netherlands), Baltic (Norwegian Fjords). CCL's previous homeporting in Dover was in 2013.

For summer 2023 season, the ship was scheduled for another deployment in Europe (British Isles, UK and Iceland, Norwegian Fjords) out of Dover.

Fun Ship 2.0 upgrade was done in 2013. Pride is of CCL-Carnival's Spirit-class liners, with sisterships Legend, Miracle, Spirit, also Costa Atlantica and Costa Mediterranea. The vessel was christened by godmother Tamara Jernigan (Tamara Elizabeth "Tammy" Jernigan) - US scientist, former NASA astronaut (with 5 "Space Shuttle" missions/spending total 1512 hours/63 days in space). The inaugural cruise (maiden voyage) started on January 12, 2002, and up until 2014, Pride's homeport was Baltimore MD.

The ship design theme is "Icons of Beauty" (done by Joe Farcus). The theme is based on beauty in art, beauty in the human body, beauty in the world's architecture, beauty in life as general. The ship has a multi-million dollar artwork collection with numerous pieces on display in public areas. The artworks include Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Da Vinci, also details of the architecture in Byzantine Empire, Victorian England, Ancient Greece, Italian Renaissance.

On February 5, 2017, the liner was chartered by "Bare Necessities Tour and Travel" for the agency's "Big Nude Boat Cruise". The themed cruise experience was offered on a 9-day roundtrip itinerary from homeport Tampa FL (Feb 5-14) with call ports Key West, Half Moon Cay Island, Grand Turk Island, and Amber Cove (Dominicana). Passengers attended several pre-scheduled onboard special events, including the “For the Love of Nudism Film Festival”. However, clothing was required when the liner entered a seaport and also during meals.

Fun fact is that this Carnival ship has a namesake - the 2014-launched "HYUNDAI Pride". The vessel is among the world's largest container ships (capacity 13,100 TEU-containers) and operated by Hyundai Merchant Marine.