You know you’re onboard a Carnival ship as soon as you enter the atrium.  There’s enough color and culture to make you pleasantly giddy.  The perks don’t stop there either – the onboard staff are so accosting that you start to wonder if they’re the best the industry has to offer.  Aboard Carnival Pride, the cheerfulness is contagious; as if your intent to have a good time wasn’t evident enough, everyone from the stewards to the crew always wears a warm smile everywhere you meet them.  This seems the best treat of all, apart from the modern onboard diversions and eye candy, of course.

Carnival Pride is a fun ship, and the interior design probably has something to do with the good cheer.  Great works from the Greek and Renaissance masters flank the Lido deck and the atrium, accented with a soft pinkish hue from the overhead lighting or red-stained canopy.  But what contributes most to the family-friendly atmosphere of Pride is how the public spaces are arranged so as to maximize on interaction.  The corridors and hallways are designed in such a way that the flow is funneled, so there’s plenty of opportunity to exchange a nod or a greeting with other passengers.  The atrium itself is relatively intimate in size, though it rises ten stories from the main lobby.  The Lido Deck has several ‘pocket’ areas, and the Via Veneto promenade has deliberate turns so as to allow for face-to-face interaction.

Opportunities for pleasant distraction are numerous onboard, and you could spend too much time on one hangout without becoming bored in the process.  The Taj Mahal Theater hosts intricate productions, and although some seats obstruct the view with unsightly support pillars, the three levels of seating afford you with more vantage points than the usual.  There are also plenty of lounges which dot the ship, and late evenings are a formal event on their own.  Very capable entertainers are the stars of favorite haunts: the Raphael Lounge, the casino bar, and the Ivory Piano Bar, as well as the two main pools on the spa deck.  Also notable is the casino area, a venue on its own with ample game tables and machines.

The dining experience is surprisingly exquisite for a standard cruise ship, and the service is superb; the main venue (the Normandie Restaurant) can also accommodate up to a thousand guests while effectively muffling the chink of dinner plates.  Tables are built to accommodate couples and parties of four, six, and eight.  There are several specialty restaurants which offer exotic or continental fare such as the Mermaid Grill or Bistro, and the for-reservation-only David’s Supper Club.  Your options for room service offer more variety, with a continental breakfast and specialty pastries and entrees, delivered warm and right on time.  The cabins follow through on the colorful theme everywhere onboard, and you’ll get your money’s worth wherever you choose to spend your sleeping hours on the voyage.  The Carnival Pride experience is meant to be enjoyed out there on deck and on the public rooms anyway, and with various ways to get occupied for the week, you won’t want to pass out on every opportunity to get busy.