Carnival Pride Bahamas Cruise Review Orlando Kennedy Space Center Blog 12/16/09 Day 4

We had to wake up before 7 AM today because we had an excursion at Port Canaveral to the Kennedy Space Center. We set up a wake up call the night before (interestingly it doesn't seem like Carnival Pride has an automated system for this) for 7 AM, but the phone call came at about 6:47 AM. It turned out to be better because we were pressing for time. We also ordered for room service for between 7 AM and 7:15 AM and were pleased to see the food show up at about 7:10 AM. We got out onto the gangway (on Carnival Pride deck 2) at 7:40 AM where Customs were making sure that everyone wasn't bringing any fruits or nuts onto shore. We then boarded the tour bus at about 7:50 AM.

The drive to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) took about half an hour. During which our tour guide (from Sunward Tours) told us various facts about KSC and the space program in general. At the gate we noticed the price of the ticket was around $59 whereas we had paid $90 with Carnival. I supposed our price included transportation + a healthy profit margin for Carnival. After watching the cool 3D IMAX movie "Magnificent Desolation" and spending some time at the Visitor Center area, we took the KSC tour bus which stopped at three other locations of interest, including the massive Saturn V rocket replica. Later we took the Shuttle Experience which was pretty cool- not quite a roller coaster ride but an interesting simulation of a space shuttle takeoff. We then tried to catch another IMAX movie at 2 PM but missed it- the people are very strict there about not letting people in even if you are just a minute late. We then walked around, took more photos, and shopped at the gift shop before the bus back to the Carnival Pride left at 3 PM.

After returning to the Pride at around 3:45 PM, we were disappointed to find that the Mermaid's Grille was already closed. It would have been nice if it had stayed open for a while longer for the folks who went on shore excursions. We ended up having to eat at the Pizza Bar and the outdoor grill, which turned out to be pretty decent. We would've still much more preferred the salads and variety offered by the buffet.

We were tired so took a nap and woke up at around 8:30 PM and went to the Normandie Dining room (anytime dining on deck 3). We had several tasty starters including the sirloin beef and noodles salad with peanut sauce and a smoked duck salad dish. We also had the portobello mushroom salad which had a tad too much dressing. For dinner we had the New Zealand Rack of Lamb which was cooked and seasoned well- very tender and delicious. We skipped dessert as we planned on trying out the Mexican Buffet at 11:30 PM.

Afterward we went to the Taj Mahal for the Carnival Dancers and Singers show "Jazzin'". It was a mixed bag. Some highlights included a number with the girls in different color costumes, one where they were in tight red outfits, and another where the men had funky overcoats. But some other numbers, including the final one, didn't really strike a chord.

At around 11:30 PM we headed to the Mermaid's Grille to try the Mexican Buffet. Nothing really stood out there. The soft taco with grilled chicken/grilled beef was fairly good and the churro was yummy, but most of the other dishes were a tad mediocre.

The Good:
-Kennedy Space Center tour was educational and interesting
-Good service, food and dancing wait staff at the Normandie dining room for dinner

The Mediocre:
-The Carnival Dancers and Singers show "Jazzin'" was just okay- some good performances mixed in with some mediocre numbers
-The Mexican Late Night Buffet wasn't all that special
-Mermaid's Grille closed at same time (3:30 PM) for lunch despite being a port day

The Bad:
-None!

Carnival Pride Bahamas Cruise Review Orlando Kennedy Space Center Blog 12/16/09 Day 4 | Log-in or register a new user account | 0 Reviews/Comments

Reviews and Comments are opinion statements made by the author.
They do not necessarily represent the opinions of the site editor.