Carnival Cruise Lines - Pride Mexican Riviera Review

When my husband and I were planning our honeymoon, we knew we wanted a go-big-or-go-home honeymoon because we were going to start a family shortly after and knew we wouldn't have the chance to travel like we'd want to once that happened.  We planned a 7 night, 8 day Carnival Cruise to the Mexican Riviera and a 3 night, 4 day trip to Las Vegas for the rest of our honeymoon. 

When researching the different cruise lines, I kept seeing that Carnival was not only the funnest cruise ship, but also one of the cheapest too.  I am a self-proclaimed foodie, so to know that there was unlimited, free food on the cruise, I couldn't wait!

The cruise ship left out of Long Beach, CA and we were on our way!  Never being on a cruise before, I didn't exactly know what to expect on-board.  When you first step aboard, you are overwhelmed with the fancy furniture and decor.  I felt as though I were visiting the Queen of England in her palace.  At times it feels gaudy, but at other times, royal.

You can choose either the early dinner or late dinner for the formal dinners each night.  If you don't want to get dressed up for a formal dinner, you have MANY other options.  There is a casual buffet, a sushi station, room service and a 24 hour pizza parlor.  The food was always good.  At one of the formal dinners, I had the biggest lobster I have ever seen in my life.  Not only was it the biggest lobster, but the sweetest, tastiest lobster too.  I was never disappointed with any meal I ate.  I loved the food so much I bought the Carnival Cruise Ship Cookbook in the gift shop.

There is so much to do while you are at sea.  They have a casino, piano bar, dance club, comedy show, sports bar and several other little bars to sit and relax.  You can go outside and jump in the pool, play golf or get a massage.  There is definitely something for everyone of all ages.  I never felt trapped or bored while on the cruise ship.  It was so relaxing to know that I am miles away from home, my cell phone wouldn't work if I wanted it to, and I can do whatever I want when I want to do it.  My husband and I would love to order a bottle of wine and drink it on our private balcony overlooking the gorgeous ocean.

The shore excursions were so easy to book.  You could go to the tv in your room and book a shore excursion right from the tv and it will get charged to your room.  I loved doing anything I wanted and not have to get out my wallet.  If I want a bottle of wine, here's my room key!  There is a slight problem with that once you get your hefty bill at the end though!  At any time you could go to your tv and check your account balance that is about a day late, and see how much you will owe at the end of the cruise.  I tried not to look at it because I didn't want to be adding things up while on vacation. 

The only downside I felt there was to the cruise were the insane prices of alcohol.  We would buy bottles of wine that in a normal liquor store would be $6.00 and they cost $35 on the cruise ship.  That is my only complaint about the whole cruise. 

The Scoop!

We received excellent service and ate amazing food.  The entire trip was a blast and I cannot wait until I can go on another cruise again.  I would definitely choose Carnival again because we had such an awesome experience.