Inside Carnival Pride - A conversation with Hotel Director Brian D'Souza

Carnival Pride has consistently received high marks from passengers on those comment cards that the cruise lines ask passengers to fill out at the end of every voyage. She received them on the West Coast when she was operating out of Los Angles and she is receiving them now that she is on the East Coast operating out of Baltimore.

The ship is a Spirit-class (also called a Vista-class) design. These ships have good speed and good seakeeping properties so that they perform well in rough weather. They also have a convenient interior layout. The major public areas are on three decks and so it is relatively simple to find ones way around. So, that could be one explanation for the high marks.

Baltimore is just developing as a cruise port. Yes, cruise ships have stopped there before but Pride is the first ship to sail year-round from Baltimore on a regular basis. Having a first-tier cruise ship within driving distance makes cruising a convenient option for many people. Perhaps the high marks just reflect the fact that they are happy to have such a ship based nearby. But then, the ship received high marks in Los Angles and on the cruises she did out of Miami in the process of repositioning to Baltimore.

To get an inside perspective as to why Carnival Pride has succeeded so well, I spoke with her hotel director Brian D’Souza. Brian has worked his way up the management chain on a number of Carnival ships and so is in a position to know why Carnival works even in these tough economic times. I also asked him about what it has been like taking Pride to a new home.

Our conversation is posted at: http://beyondships.com/CarnivalPride-art-Dsouza.html

Carnival Pride Photo Tour and Commentary

Carnival Pride and her three Spirit-class sister ships are like the high performance sports cars of the Carnival fleet. Longer but yet smaller than Carnival’s Destiny-class megacruise ships, Pride can whip through the water at 24 knots. Her azipod propulsion system makes her highly maneuverable although I must admit that the Destiny-class ships are surprisingly maneuverable with their traditional propeller system. In any event, her technological prowess carries over and gives the ship something of the same feeling of superiority that comes with owning a performance car.

While Pride is smaller than the Destiny-class ships, especially the latest evolutions of that design such as Carnival Splendor, she offers many of the passenger choices that Carnival features. Indeed, there is even a specialty steakhouse and a flexible dining option in the main restaurant.

Inside, Pride is flamboyant. Carnival designer Joe Farcus has made use of numerous reproductions of Old Master artworks in a tribute to the “icons of beauty.” There is probably not another ship afloat that makes such extensive use of the works of Raphael, Van Gough, Michelangelo, and other renowned painters. These are not lined up one after another as in a museum but rather are blown-up to giant proportions or blended into the décor in interesting ways. Not only does it create a fun, Pop-style environment but it leads one to look around at the detail work and say “Hey, isn’t that from . . . .”

Aside from the hardware, I was impressed by the friendliness of the crew during my recent voyage on Pride. Everyone was friendly and confident in what they were doing.

My profile of Carnival Pride is at: http://beyondships.com/CarnivalPride-Profile.html and the multi-page photo tour and commentary begins at: http://beyondships.com/CarnivalPride-Tour-1.html.

Pride is the 50th ship that I have profiled on Beyondships.com including 10 other Carnival ships, 8 Royal Caribbean ships, 8 Holland America ships, 7 Princess ships, four NCL ships, three each from Cunard, P&O Cruises, and Celebrity Cruises as well as individual ships from three other lines. There is a dedicated section on the website for each ship with a photo tour, copies of menus and daily programs and in many cases interviews with the captain and/or other officers.

Talking with the Captain of Carnival Pride

Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with Captain Alessandro Galotto, the master of Carnival Pride. We spoke first informally during a dinner with his senior officer team in the Pride’s main dining room. Later, on a bright sunny day in Freeport in the Bahamas, we spoke in his office. On both occasions, Captain Galotto was personable and open in discussing his ship, his professional and cruising in general.

Captain Galotto was an officer on Carnival’s first ship and has seen the line change quite a bit over the years. As a result, he explained, people who assume that Carnival ships are just party boats are mistaken. Fun is still the objective but it isn’t the same type of fun as in the old days.

A cruise ship captain wears many hats. It isn’t just about being on the bridge. So, we spoke about what the job entails and how one learns this trade.

Carnival Pride has recently begun cruising from Baltimore, Maryland, where she will be based all year-round. With many people anxious to avoid the rigors of flying, basing a cruise ship in a place that is a convenient drive for literally millions of potential passengers makes a lot of sense. However, there is also some risk. Carnival has never based a ship so far north in the winter. Captain Galottos spoke about why Pride is the right ship to face the challenges of this market.

My conversation with Captain Galotto is at: http://beyondships.com/CarnivalPride-art-Galotto.html