Dining

It was surprising to learn that there is only one main restaurant on a ship this big, with two seatings nightly for dinner, but the huge Normandie Restaurant, located low and aft with windows on three sides, works surprisingly well. The design, which cantilevers the upper level over most of the lower, somehow manages to effectively baffle the noise of 1,000 guests, which can be a real problem in most dining venues of this size. The seating layout -- tables for two, four, six and eight -- utilizes booths and open tables that allow for even the most intimate conversations. The food in the Normandie Restaurant is excellent, and we were surprised at how much Carnival has improved in this regard. There were a variety of menu items ranging from gorge-worthy to spa-simple; ample portions are presented beautifully. Carnival's new low-carb menu is enormously popular, and allows a guest on such a diet to choose items from the main offerings with potatoes, rice and other starches replaced by vegetables lower in carbohydrates. The low-carb menu basically featured the same meats as the regular menu, but eliminated, for instance, stuffing in the rolled pork, offered an au jus instead of gravy for beef dishes and eliminated starches like rice, potatoes, yams and peas.

As good as the food might be, the main attraction in the dining room is really the conviviality -- the enjoyment of being on board the Pride, the interaction with fellow guests, and the nightly show provided by the engaging and outgoing wait staff. Dancing with guests mid-meal to the beat-driven "La Vida Loca" or encouraging the swinging of dinner napkins to the tune of "Tarantella," the waiters, bus staff, maitre d's and even the officers all get into the act.

The dining experience overall is so important on Carnival Pride that almost the entire back half of the Lido Deck is dedicated to food stations or dining tables. There's the Mermaid Grille, which also serves as the casual dinner alternative and the Mermaid Bistro, the ship's "buffet style" casual dining option. Instead of having one buffet line, this venue divides the stations into smaller groupings spread around a vast space surrounded with dining tables. It's confusing at the outset, but once you learn which station specializes in what, planning your dining becomes easier, and Carnival has finally discovered the benefit of providing trays for guests to use, making traversing the stations so much easier.

Hint: To avoid frustration, get your cold food (salads, desserts, drinks, etc.) first, and choose only one hot station at a time; your hot items will remain hot until you find a place to sit.

The stations include a deli specializing in "overstuffed" sandwiches (one of the few down-notes in terms of cuisine, the deli fare was a disappointment). Other options included an Oriental wok station with Chinese, Thai or Indonesian-inspired dishes, a grill with hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled steak or chicken breast sandwiches, a traditional "carvery" with roasts and more North American-style fare, a station specializing in items from around the world (we loved the lamb curry served on Indian-food day,) a 24-hour pizzeria that also serves Caesar salads (we've always maintained that we would take a Carnival cruise solely for the light-as-air pizza served hot and fresh) and a 24-hour ice cream/frozen yogurt station.

Room service is available 24 hours a day, but the menu is extremely limited and somewhat boring, with the exception of the excellent continental breakfast. Ordered the night before with a door-hung card, it always came exactly when specified. The small Danish pastries were warmed slightly, and were flaky and superb. The smoked salmon was lovely, and the coffee was always really good.

Later in the day, room service consists of a selection of sandwiches and salads, a dessert of the day, and chocolate cake, cookies and brownies. No hot items, except for coffee, tea, and hot chocolate are served. This system works very well: Items are delivered quickly, no one can complain that their food is cold, and it's simply a convenience for guests -- Carnival wants you out and about and enjoying the ship.

Hint: If your children like hot chocolate and cookies, ask also for a glass of milk when you order. The hot chocolate comes with a carafe of hot water and packets of powdered cocoa mix; the milk will make the drink healthier, cooler and more appealing for the mouths of little ones.

Another Hint: Most of the room service sandwiches come "plain" unless otherwise advised. If you want mayo on your BLT, for example, or mustard on your ham and cheese, ask for it when ordering.

Anyone who has enjoyed a meal out in a really fine dining establishment will appreciate the luxury of David's Supper Club, Carnival Pride's reservations-only alternative dining room located beneath the red glass dome at the top of the atrium. There's a $25 surcharge, which we felt was modest considering the selection, quality, quantity and preparation of the meal we were served.

Low-carb dieters will be ecstatic at the presentation of the humongous Porterhouse; at nearly two pounds, no one would need a potato for "filler." There are large and smaller versions of filet mignon, plus New York strip, lamb, veal, lobster tail and sea bass for main courses. The menu also includes appetizers, soups, salads, and a dessert selection that will make you weep because you're too full to enjoy everything on it. We particularly loved the New England crab cake appetizer, the exquisitely beautiful spinach salad, and the lobster tail/filet combo.

Formal attire is required, and appropriate, considering the elegance of the surroundings. A jazz vocalist adds atmosphere but doesn't overwhelm conversation. After dinner, romance flourishes on the supper club's dance floor.

Complimentary espresso, cappuccino and lattes are served in the dining room after a meal; if you want specialty coffees at any other time, the Piazza Cafe on Deck Two will happily oblige, at a reasonable price.

A final note about dining on Pride: It's apparent that all ingredients used are fresh and natural, with a huge selection of baked-daily breads, fresh fruits and salads. Real cream is served for coffee, but Carnival has chosen to do away with the little plastic pull-tab tubs for environmental reasons, serving cream in little pitchers instead, even on room service trays. We really liked that.