I have to admit that after reading all the questions I'm receiving that I get excited all over again. I want to answer, " I have no idea, please share with me because I can't wait!" Then I remember, oh, yea, you were there!

First I want to apologize to those that are waiting patiently for me to respond to emails or posts. I just got home Sun. night and Wow! The Momster and myself sure do pack a lot of stuff! I have read a few reviews and please, I hope everyone realizes I'm not a professional writer. If I make a mistake, forgive me. I am an amateur and my viewpoint is that of an amateur.

I expected a nightmare on boarding. My mother has emphysema and requires quite a bit of equipment. Plus we are nightmare packers. We arrived at the port and with minimal effort the porter had all the equipment and luggage packed onto the carrier. Now we did assist him in tagging all the oxygen tanks and luggage with our room # since we had been TBA's (To Be Announced). I didn't know what it meant either at first! So everything goes smoothly and I tipped the porter. He seemed pleased and I felt comfortable with the amount I gave him. It is my luggage after all and I need it.

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Considering Mom was in a wheel chair we went straight upstairs and we had assistance with checking in. Never moved an inch so I'm not a good judge at the timing but I saw of all the lines. Yes, there are a lot of looong lines. Aside from the wedding party which was already onboard we were the very first three to go onboard the Pride.

Carnival Pride is truly beautiful if you appreciate hard work , detail and a romantic atmosphere. Lots of dark tones, rich warm woods and deep colored appolstry. The atruim is something that you should just look up and enjoy. Take your time and look around. I am in my early 30's and the majority of the age group on ship appeared to be over 50. There were some our age.

We were all satisfied with our cabin. It was 5223. Because there were three of us Carnival could not accommodate us in a handicapped cabin. That did annoy me but I can say we did fine. It was still spacious and plenty of room for storage. LOL we quite simply left the wheel chair in the hallway if we knew we were going to only be in the cabin a short bit. This was done upon the suggestion of our room steward. We had our 2 tanks of oxygen in the room within the hour. That is what is allowed for people on oxygen. Of course we had brought our own concentrator. It was delivered I believe within an hour and a half and we received our luggage by 6pm. Not bad at all considering the amount we brought with us. Be sure to take a bungee cord for the balcony door. I used a 2 foot one and probably would have done better with a 3 foot. Try to find one that doesn't have a wide hook on it so that it can go between the glass and hook onto itself.

Unlike Vicki's experience our room steward was wonderful. Her name I believe is Adrianna. She not only received the required tips that they deduct but we tipped her extra at the end of the week. Daily she willing checked with us about oxygen tank needs and would get them to us just as soon as she could. We never had to wait terribly long, I think at the most about an hour. We always had plenty of ice, both in a bucket and she kept our mini cooler full as well. They will empty contents out of the fridge if you ask them. Not necessarily willing but they will do it. The bathrooms were spacious with plenty of shelves. We didn't have any problems with the curtain unlike what I have read from others experience.

Regarding the ports, Belize and Progresso aren't quite ready for tourists. If you're not into the tourist trap shopping and whoo haw like Cozumel then I believe you will be intrigued with both places. The tender in Belize was unlike what I had dealt with on the Sensation. My Mother went into Belize with two friends. I do not recommend women going in alone from what I have been told by the crew. She said that it was OK, the streets are rough and difficult to maneuver in a wheel chair but they seemed to get along fine. My mother said that she had no problems at all in her wheel chair getting into the boat. I never went into Belize; I snorkeled with the rays and sharks. I enjoyed the excursion and the guides did a pretty good job I thought. We did see wild dolphins that they spotted and stopped and let us watch. While snorkeling Louis took extra efforts trying to find different of species to tell us about. Progresso we never even got off the ship so I can't give any opinion there. I have been to both Key West and Cozumel and love both towns. I do agree with others that I have read that say not to try to get off the ship first thing. It can be a bit chaotic. My biggest disappointment I think for the whole week was the lack of time in ports. 7 or 8 hours just isn't enough.

The food in the Normandie was above my expectations. We ate in the Captain's Club for the late seating. I never disliked anything we had even if the veal was a tad dry. Isabella and Lilliana simply took wonderful care of us. They are busy and at times patience is required. I respect these women because they are working extremely hard and truly want to do their job to their best ability. We tipped them extra at the end of the week. Isabella was hoping to be moved back to David's before too long. Mother and I ate in David's on the last night. I have no regrets for the extra $25. The wine naturally is extra and most of it is of higher quality than what is offered in the Captains Club. Mom had never experienced anything like that and was a pleasure to watch her enjoy the service. These girls as well received extra tipping.

The shows were OK. I do recommend Vaaarooooooooom! I enjoyed that quite a bit. We spent a lot of time in the casino listening to Doug. He is a guitarist that plays what I would consider fun music!! It is the type that if you like to sing along and cut loose a little it is for you. He is really a great person and loves talking with his audience. He never lacked an audience so that says something. Mom seems to bring out the best in people and again I must praise the service in the casino. Olga and another dark haired girl that took care of us remembered us all week and after seeing our S&S cards once never needed to see them again. Nor did they ever have to ask what we wanted. Yes, they got tipped extra as well.

I have to say that we dealt with what me being a land lover would call rough waters. Especially coming out of Progresso. I took Bonine daily and it took care of me. No problems. Just be prepared for the weeble wobble effects. I have been told that it is due to the time of year.

Again with disembarkation I expected a nightmare!!! Remember I had tons of equipment and a lot to get off that big ole boat. We were placed in the atrium as VIP's and once they let us off ship, I am thinking about 9:20 we were at our luggage and out of the building and at a taxi within 20 min. There were so many people willing to help us. It was nothing like what I experienced on the Sensation and I commend them for how they handled us. I don't know if everyone's was that easy but I could never complain.

I apologize for the length of this but even now I am realizing I am leaving out so much. Please feel free to contact me if you have any direct questions at moonglws4u@aol.com. It may take me a day or two to respond but I will be happy to assist in any way I can.

Happy sailing to all and yes, I am already planning my next one!