You know what’s really hard? Getting invited to a breakfast and tour of a beautiful cruise ship, the Carnival Pride. Okay, wait. That’s the easy part. The actual hard part is boarding the ship will all of the other passengers getting ready to embark on a 7 day adventure and knowing you’ll be getting off.
But if that’s what it takes to get the inside scoop, I’ll do it. And I did it just a few short weeks ago at the Port of Baltimore.
Invited to attend a Cat in the Hat for President event on board the Carnival Pride, I took the whole family to meet and greet the candidate that Carnival Cruise Line appears to be backing for President. And I have to say that he’s starting to look like the most viable candidate.
The real idea behind this event, though, was getting families on board to get a taste of some of the kid-friendly fun that Carnival is offering on board their ships.
The Cat in the Hat recently announced his presidential candidacy to coincide with the release of the new Dr. Seuss book, One Vote, Two Votes, I Vote, You Vote, which teaches kids about the election process and the importance of voting. So what does that have to do with Carnival?
Carnival Cruise Line is the exclusive cruise line partner of Dr. Seuss Enterprises and the Official Seagoing Campaign Headquarters. The presidential candidacy and corresponding festivities are part of Carnival’s exclusive Seuss as Sea program which provides youth, family, dining, and entertainment experiences.
But what fun is it reading about it? We wanted to experience it! We were invited onboard the Carnival Pride for a special shipboard rally with the Cat in the Hat and his running mates Thing 1 and Thing 2 (insert your own Vice Presidential jokes here) followed by a parade that led us to brunch!
Because the ship had been delayed into port due to weather (which delays disembarking and then embarking by extension) so we didn’t sit down to eat until well after 1pm. I was so hungry that I would have eaten green eggs and ham with a mouse, in a house, with a fox, or in a box. I actually would have eaten them anywhere.
While it is called the Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast (and they do have Green Eggs and Ham), I opted for a more filling meal of Fox on Socks Steak and Eggs. Add a glass of champagne to complete my meal and it was well worth the wait.
After watching a little show of “Things” (all of the waitstaff had a number shirt identifying them as a certain Thing #), we were invited to spend time checking out the rest of the ship with one caveat. When they made the announcement for visitors to get off, we needed to do that!
As we explored the Carnival Pride, we tried to reach every nook and cranny. And it was surprisingly easy to do. It’s considered a Spirit-class ship that the outgoing Cruise Director said is his favorite class. It’s a relatively small and approachable size with 1,062 staterooms. And although we weren’t on the ship while it was at sea in full swing, it never seemed crowded and I even found myself directing embarking passengers to the nearest elevator (it was my Julie McCoy moment).
Looking for quieter spaces? They can be found. I found a chapel, a library, and even quiet nooks to relax and look at the windows.
This is probably the quietest these places will ever be. There’s no shortage of bars, lounges, nightclubs, and casinos.
The ship was still boarding when kids made their way to this pool. They recommend you bring your swimsuit in your carry on!
Although I’ve cruised several times before, I’ve never been on a Carnival Cruise. While we loved experiencing the family fun, I really enjoying finally pulling the curtain back on the Carnival Pride to see what’s available right in our own backyard. Since we didn’t stay on the ship, I captured as many moments as I could with plenty of pictures but thought you might like to take a walk onboard as well.
Please ignore my security snafu at the beginning of the video.
Share with me your thoughts on cruising (you have questions, I have answers) and tell me if you’ve ever experienced the Carnival Pride!