Paradise Reviews
56 User Reviews of Paradise Cruise Ship
by Norman Smith
1 Review
Publication Date: December 12, 2011
We just completed our cruise on the Carnival Paradise. This is our eighth cruise on Carnival. Six on Inspiration, one on Spirit, one just completed on Paradise and one scheduled on Legend. Obviously we think favorably of Carnival in general. These comments are for the Paradise sailing on December 12, 2011. The Paradise is the sister ship to the Inspiration. It has just been repositioned to Tampa. My comments are comparing the reburbished Paradise to the Inspiration and the Paradise as stand-alone comments. Some are very favorable and some are very seriously negative. Let me get the negative out of the way first. The Carnival has some of the largest cabins of any fleet. The Paradise has got to be the most stupid layout that could have been thought of. First, the height of the beds. I've always been able to store my luggage under the beds, out of the way. These beds were too low to fit my luggage. The same luggage I've use on all of my cruises. I had to stow them in a closet, thus losing closet space. Second, the life preservers use to be stowed in
a top shelf on a closet. Readily accessible yet out of the way. Now they've added a big square box on the floor roughly two feet by two feet. This only holds the life preservers (which used to be out of the way). This box is in the corner, under the TV, by the outer wall. The only way to get to the space between the bed and window is to crawl over the bed. You cannot get by the box by walking on the floor; only crawling over the bed!. When I wanted to get out of bed at night (I was closest to the window for the benefit of my wife) I had to slide/crawl down the bed over the footboard and avoid the box to get to the bathroom. I asked the steward if the beds could be turned. He pointed out the reading lights would not be properly placed then. Also, I measured that one bed would interfere with the desk so couldn't be turned. Plus, the televisions are not flat screened but very large bulky old sets with big boxes built around them. This layout is so anti-comfort and irritating it may discourage me from future sailings on a ship which we obviously enjoy. Third, the bathroom now has a fluorescent light which is very low illumination. OK for guys but gals strongly prefer more light in the bathroom. Let me get to more pleasurable comments. The bathroom was remodeled and shelves above the sink were replaced with a medicine cabinet with doors and shelves within. The sink surface was increased for added convenience. Service is always exemplary. Our room steward, Michael, was always present and pleasant. Ice was always replaced twice a day. Michael made new towel animals and people I haven't seen before. Our waiter, Iputu, was pleasant, prompt, and got to know our preferences right away. He always had tea for my wife as soon as we sat down. Bussing is constant on the Lido buffet deck. We greatly appreciate that they accommodate late risers with breakfast until noon. Their sandwich bar makes sandwiches to order; the Reubens are the best I've had. Embarkation is smooth considering the many hundreds being processed. Debarkation is even better. You can wait in the breakfast buffet area until you are scheduled to leave. The valet parking now delivers the car directly to the terminal. We no longer need to walk a long block with luggage to the parking garage. Greatly appreciated by those with walking difficulties. Lido to car took 10-15 minutes. Truly a great way to end your cruise. Thank you Carnival.Food in the main dining rooms range from good to excellent. Seconds and thirds are available without question. I noticed two changes to increase Carnival's profits that were irritating. First, shrimp cocktail used to be offered everyday; not anymore. The casino's minimum bet (for blackjack) increased from $5 to $6 (20% increase). Still, the value compared to other cruise lines is quite good. Overall, if Carnival would only raise the bed height and remove that stupid life saver box I would have no hesitation to recommend the Paradise.
by dale
1 Review
Publication Date: March 8, 2010
I went on this cruise with 2 other girl friends. It took about 30 minutes to get on the ship very organized and easy. We had an inside mid ship cabin that had 4 beds, 2 were pull down. There was plenty of room for the 3 of us and the bathroom had space for all our toiletries. The cabin steward greeted us and we asked for all the Carnival beverages to be removed so we could have more counter space. He never did that so we just put it all in our closet, getting ice in our bucket was hit or miss.
The beds were very comfortable. The food was better than I had expected this being my 1st Carnival cruise. Every day I had bagels and lox in the rear deli, there was a small salad bar next to the deli, both were very good with a good variety. We danced in The Rex until 2 am what was great is NO smoking in the lounge. We never made it to a breakfast but the early seating for dinner was always good. The food was a notch
below Celebrity and Princess, but then our cruise was a lot less expensive too.The food was always brought out quickly which was nice. There was a lot of wind so we had to sail around Catalina Isaland for a day which was made into our sea day. The tender was a lot of fun large swells but they did an awesome job getting us there and back. The entertainment was OK. The only big disappointment was the disembarking. We took the elevator down to the deck and it was a total mob scene, there was not one Carnival staff member there to tell passengers where to go. We walked to the end of the long line that went into a hall where there were cabins. Some people who got off the elevators did not realize that they had to go to the back of the long line and just got in the line by the elevator. They did not know they were ditching in front of those of us who were in the long line. I did inform those passengers getting off the elevator that there was a line but some hollered back at me or just ditched in line. Why in the world did Carnival not have staff directing passengers is beyond me.
by Steve
10 Reviews
Publication Date: February 12, 2010
We've sailed with Carnival many times before and I have been a loyal Carnival fan. I've even gone so far as to tell people that Carnival is much better than other cruise lines. We've sailed on Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity as well as Carnival. Carnival has always gone 'the extra mile' to make each cruise memorable.
But for the first time we were truly disappointed with our last cruise on the Paradise. I don't know if it is due to the economy or what but it seemed that everything was now being done 'on the cheap'. The buffet was smaller with fewer selections. The on board activities had been cut in half. The late night buffet was a joke. There were less bands and parties. The whole atmosphere was lacking and the crew seemed disengaged.
I always thought Carnival was on the top of the game for fun but we went on a Royal Caribbean Cruise just last fall to the same destination that beat the heck out of this one on the Paradise. It is really sad if Carnival is going this direction.
by Grimmy
1 Review
Publication Date: May 9, 2008
This cruise was the 2nd for my husband and me. Two years earlier we had gone on a 4 night cruise to the Bahamas on RCCL's Sovereign of the Seas and knew it wouldn't be our last. I was a little apprehensive about Carnival, but was totally impressed by the Paradise and all of the crew members.
We purchased the air package and left Iowa about 8:00 a.m. and were in Ft. Lauderdale by 1:30 p.m., arriving a little ahead of schedule. We saw other cruise representatives and asked if they knew where the Carnival representative was and they said probably downstairs. The lady was right down at the bottom of the stairs, so we gave her our names and she said we were the last people they were waiting on for the bus transfer and to hurry and get our luggage. She seemed a little snippy and was rushing us, but we don't control the baggage claim area! I'm glad the much-needed restrooms were close and luckily our luggage was some of the first to come through. We had had a long day, too, and thought the representative could have
been a little more pleasant and welcoming. We immediately followed her to the bus and then sat on the bus for a good 10 minutes before we left. It was about a 30 min. drive to the ship. The driver reminded us of a tip, but our transfers say ‘all gratuities included', so we didn't give him anything….but we did tip the guys who took our luggage from there ($1 per bag). Since we were some of the last people to board the ship it took very little time to go through the lines, show our filled out documents and birth certificates, get our sail and sign cards, and have our picture taken. Just a reminder -you need to take your sail and sign cards everywhere you go…especially going off the ship. You cannot leave or enter the ship without it. (They even ask you to take another photo ID when you leave the ship just in case.)It was kind of a mad house as we entered the ship's lobby…a lot of people hanging around and we had no idea which way to head. After we got through the mess of people we had no problem finding our room. We were in U194 which is an ocean view cabin at a pretty decent location. The cabins are more than adequate with plenty of closet space. It was nice to have the little safe in the closet to store our travel documents and extra cash in. There are a few amenities, like shampoo, rinse, lotion, razors, mints, but don't count on them to last the whole trip. You will need to take your own. The tux we had ordered for formal nights was already in the room. Since we had early seating dinner at 5:45 p.m. we didn't have much time to tour the ship after doing the required life-safety drill. We had all but one piece of luggage when we got back to dress for dinner and the last one was there after dinner. The room steward was very efficient, although on Tuesday I had to ask for the robes that are to be in every cabin. Just an oversight on his part. And yes, we got the cute little towel shaped animals that everyone talks about. From reading other reviews I had taken along a power strip, since there is only one plug-in in the room.. We had a small alarm clock (they have a wake-up telephone call, but there is no snooze on this feature), curling iron, blow dryer, hot curlers, and an iron and would have been grumbling if I had only one outlet. The bathrooms had plenty of room. Much bigger than some we've stayed in in New York City. We had no problems with noise from other cabins. When you walk down the hall you might get a startle by someone flushing their toilet. If you've never been on a cruise you will be intrigued by their suction.
We had most of our meals in the Destiny dining room. Our tablemates were a perfect match for us and we spent quite a bit of time with them. What a wonderful group of team waiters! Very personable, humorous, and willing to please. by the end of the trip they remembered who had ice tea with lemon and who had coffee and we didn't even have to ask anymore. The food was great!! There was plenty to choose from and the guys at our table had no problem ordering two appetizers or entrees. You eat as much as you want. Just remember that soft drinks are not included with the meals and need to be put on your sign and sail card. We did eat breakfast and lunch in the Paris Restaurant a couple of times and one day I just had to have a burger and fries at the pool snack bar. We ordered room service after our shore excursions because we just wanted something light like a sandwich and salad and we were always served within 15 minutes of calling in. The Paris Restaurant is very efficient and we could always find something that satisfied our taste buds. You had to wait in line a little, but the atmosphere is much more casual. We could put on our shore excursion clothes (usually bathing suits), go eat with a nice view of the port we were visiting, and then get right off the ship. The ice cream here is really good!! A lot of people brag about the pizza, and I love pizza, but I didn't see anything spectacular about it. There was always a midnight buffet, but gosh, we were so stuffed from grazing all day long and trying out the exotic drinks, we just didn't get excited about this meal.
The ship itself was very colorful. I was very impressed with the atrium decor and the over-all look of the ship. Very up-scale. The pictures we had seen in the brochures or on the internet just don't do it justice. There were plenty of places to go. We never had trouble finding a deck chair to lounge on to catch the sun's rays. We never went in the pools, but the slide looked like a lot of fun for the kids and the adults. We also had a good time relaxing along the window seats on Carnival Boulevard, having a drink, talking to new friends, and enjoying the ocean view…one time we even saw a dolphin.
My husband was a frequent guest of the casino. They even recognized him and spoke to him outside of the casino. A very friendly bunch! And he came out about $200 ahead, so he had a good time.
The cruise director, Trevor Block, was excellent. He had nice little humorous stories to go a long with his cruise talks. He has talks on shore excursions, shopping, facts about the ports of call, and the final debarkation talk. If you can't go to these, watch them on your cabin tv. They are very informative and you'll be glad you did. Make sure you don't miss the debarkation talk as it explains as to how and when you get off the ship. His helpers were very good with Bingo, the game shows, and other activities. The games were fun to watch and there was lots of money (and a cruise) to be won at Bingo. The dancing/singing shows were very entertaining and included a lot of variety and much talent. One night they had the comedian Jim Brick. He was hilarious! Don't miss him if you get a chance to see him. A lot of people have complained about the obstructed views in the Normandy Lounge where these shows are given and they are right! What a terrible set-up. Get there early if you want to really enjoy the show.
Cozumel had great snorkeling. It was very colorful. We did take the ships excursion for this and had a great time. We don't get into the shopping scene, but we did look around at the shops right by the pier and found all we needed. We shared a cab with our tablemates ($5 each way) and did some window-shopping at the jewelry and clothes stores. We had the most fun at Carlos and Charlies!! Go there just for the experience. This is a restaurant/bar, more of the ‘spring break' type crowd, but there were people of all ages!! We ran into a lot of people from the ship, including some of the crew.
We got off the ship at Grand Cayman and got a $30 shore excursion for a trip to Stingray City. They sell these right at the pier for less than Carnival's excursion. We made the mistake of getting off the ship as soon as we could and then waited an hour for the people selling the tours to show up. Ship time is an hour earlier than Cayman time. They put us in a big van and drove us to the yacht club where we boarded a boat for about 15-20 people and then it took about 20 mins. to get to Stingray City. We got to swim and snorkel with the stingrays and do a little snorkeling at the coral reef nearby. This wasn't as colorful as Cozumel, but it's a long reef you can swim along and one girl even saw a small octopus.
Ocho Rios, Jamaica was the BEST!!! We had arranged a tour with a local, Peat Taylor of ‘HEY MON, NO PROBLEMS'TOURS. My husband (and our travel agent) was very apprehensive about arranging on our own in Jamaica, but we were extremely pleased with this tour. We emailed Peat (oneiltay@cwjamaica.com) ahead of time and he picked us up at the pier at 8:30. We got off the ship early and we asked a lady at the gates for Peat Taylor and he wasn't there yet, so she got her phone (or CB) and called him and he said he'd be there shortly. When we met him he had picture ID of himself and he had our email correspondence with our names so we knew we had the right guy (there have been cab drivers who said they were him and was taking away his business). Peat dropped us off at Dunns River Falls first. It costs $6 a piece to enter the park and then you can get a locker for $8 (they return $5 when you bring back the lock) to put your clothes in. We wore our bathing suits there and took clothes to change in to afterwards. Since we were there early we were the very first people to climb the falls. We had a guide to ourselves and he took over 10 pictures of us at different levels of the falls. This was the highlight of our whole trip!! I would highly recommend wearing water shoes for this climb! We still slipped in a couple of spots, but nothing major. After we changed we went back and watched other people climb up. We were glad we didn't have to climb with all those other people. It's like a maze leaving the park. They send you through a plethora of very pushy vendors. You just have to be firm and keep walking. Don't even acknowledge them!! Peat picked us up in two hours out front (along with another family that booked him) and took us downtown to do some shopping. We had fun just going into the local grocery store and getting a snack. We got most of our clothes/souvenirs in Ocho and my husband had fun finageling with the sellers in the flea market. Peat then took us for a drive out into the country side through Fern Gully. He pointed out the different trees, plants, customs, famous peoples homes, and we got to stop and get out and listen to nature. He even stopped and pulled some leaves off the spice tree for us to smell. Peat will even take you to the beach if you'd like to go there. The ride itself was an experience! The roads are narrow and have lots of curves. Peat charges $25 per person. Since it costs $6 to enter Dunns River he takes that off the $25, but we had such a great time we gave him the full $25 a piece anyway!! We highly recommend Peat!!! We knew others who took taxis to different places and had no problems. Just be careful downtown!!!
The days at sea were fun and relaxing. The formal nights were good opportunities to get dressed up and have some pictures taken. Take as many as you can - one is bound to turn out pretty good. They take your pictures for free, put them on display for you to search through and then charge you an ‘arm and a leg' for one picture. Still cheaper than going to a photographer if you want some updated pictures.
Bring your Dramamine along just in case. We had some pretty rocky nights!!! This isn't usually the norm on a big cruise ship, but there are times it gets rough and it even affects your walking. We had about 3 nights that everyone commented on how rocky it was. I unfortunately had to leave halfway through dinner one night and didn't leave the cabin till the next morning. The information desk has motion-sickness pills they will give you if you forget to bring yours.
Debarkation was extremely easy. I like the way the Paradise does this. You wait anywhere on the ship and when they call your baggage color tag you can leave. All the luggage is separated by the colored tags in a large room on the pier, so you just need to go to that section and find your luggage. We have our old 80s burgundy luggage and it was very easy to locate. If you have black I'd suggest putting a bright colored yarn on the handle so you can easily identify it. We had a bus transfer to Ft. Lauderdale and again the driver asked to be remembered with a $1 a bag! He didn't even handle the luggage! Again we did not tip the driver since our transfer says ‘all gratuities included'.
If you are traveling with family then this is the cruise for you. There were quite a few teens and LOTS of elementary age kids. by the end of the cruise the kids were getting more comfortable with the ship and the whole cruising experience and they began to get a little obnoxious!!! Where are the parents??? This is still a pretty minor complaint because we did meet a lot of nice people with families. We have no regrets about taking the Paradise. This cruise was our best vacation ever!!
by Kathy C.
6 Reviews
Publication Date: March 17, 2008
Check-In at Long Beach Check-in was speedy. We got in around 1:30 and were onboard within 20 minutes. Lady at the counter was very nice and our room was ready by the time we got there.
Food Food was good to fair. I have had much better meals on Princess and Royal Carribean. It was hit or miss in the Destiny dining room where we had late 8PM seating. We requested 5:45, but somehow got changed. We tried to get it changed back, but the 5:45 sitting was already full. The Paris restaurant on the Lido was typically fair buffet. Wasn't too impressed with the buffet food served. It was just okay. Deserts were just okay too. My son loved the access to the ice cream machine at all times. And we enjoyed choices of lemonaide, juices, and fruit punch. Pizza was always fresh and good! We ordered breakfast room service on the Ensenada day and it never showed, so we ended up at the buffet. We did order the chocolate cake from room service and it was very good.
Entertainment The first "Hollywood" show was too long, but the costumes
were nice to look at and the music at the end of the show finally became upbeat and enjoyable. The beginning was slow and felt like it would last forever. The second music show was much better and of a good duration. The comedian and magician were good, but with only one showing, it got crowded early. My son sat on the floor, away from me, and other kids we met said they left since they couldn't see from their vantage point.Ports of Call The ports of call on this sailing were Catalina Island & Ensenada. Catalina Island tendering took too long. We waited over 45 minutes to get tendered. Since they do this itinerary all the time, you would think they'd be better at it. Ensenada was fine. We did the "Taste of Mexico" excursion and enjoyed ourselves.
Staff and Crew The staff and crew were very friendly and helpful, and the overall appearance of the ship was good. The windows needed cleaning in my room and up in the public areas. The last sea day we went really slow and the boat rocked a lot. I ended up feeling queasy and was in my room for most of the morning, trying to sleep it off. Recommend you bring Dramamine for these types of days. I took one, but not until I actually felt queasy. I heard a few people complaining they didn't feel well on the 9th floor, and I heard the rocking was worse the higher up you were on the boat.
Overall we had a relaxing cruise and met some nice people at our dining table. I wish we'd had an earlier dining time, but we got through it. Other than my few complaints, I'd cruise Carnival again. Lots of families onboard since it was spring break.
by JoAnn
1 Review
Publication Date: March 14, 2008
First, a little background. My husband and I took this 3 day cruise to Baja for my 30th birthday. This was our first cruise and I was 23 weeks pregnant at the time. We decided to take a little "starter" cruise to see if we would enjoy the whole "cruise experience" before we book a week or longer more expensive cruise. Price was definitely an issue for this cruise. We did this on a "bare bones budget".
Booking After spending countless hours on the internet researching where and how to get the best deal, we ended up calling Carnival's 800#. I'm very glad we did because not only did they have the best rate and awesome customer service, but they told me that the information on their website regarding pregnancy was wrong. They recently changed their policy from 27 weeks to 24 weeks maximum to be able to cruise. I would have been 26 weeks at the time I wanted to cruise and would have been denied boarding, so I'm very glad they gave me that little tidbit of info. Because of this policy change we ended up booking at the
very last minute (5 days before departure), which worked out just fine because the price went down by $60 a person! The customer service rep that booked our trip gave us a free upgrade from the Riviera deck to the Main deck and gave us a cabin made for four people, we ended up in stateroom M220. She also walked us through printing out our funpass since we were so close to our sail date and she didn't want us to have any trouble. That was very thoughtful. I also called Carnival back at least 3 times during the 5 days prior to my cruise to ask random questions, which I was full of, and was never made to feel like I was a bother.Embarkation According to Carnival embarkation starts at 1:30 pm, but I had read several reviews that talked about boarding early and having lunch so we decided to take our chances and get to the port at about 11 am. What a great idea that was! I had read horror stories about lost luggage when left with the porters, so we decided we would carry on our own luggage. We got into a very short line with our luggage and waited about 15 minutes before being allowed to board. We walked right up to the counter with no wait, showed our funpass, birth certificates, and IDs and gave them the credit card we wanted to use for our "sail & sign" card onboard. This took a grand total of 5 minutes and we were on our way. We had two photos taken on our way onto the ship, you don't have to stop but it's fun to get them done and there is no pressure to purchase them at all. Once onboard we stopped in the Grand Atrium and had a seat. We took this opportunity to grab a map and read the information they gave us on the way in. The packet explained that while they let us board early we would not be allowed to go to our staterooms until 1:30 pm. They needed this time to clean. So we headed up to the Lido deck and had lunch at the buffet. At this point I was starting to regret having carried on our own luggage as it was getting heavy and we weren't as free to roam the ship. We had an hour and a half to wait so we found a nice table by the window and began to relax. Within 15 minutes I discovered I needed to take the motion sickness pills the ship offered. Even though we were still in port looking out the window of a moving ship made me dizzy. So off I went to the information desk, I'm very glad they offered them for free. I took them regularly every 10-12 hours. As soon as I felt any dizziness I took another pill and I was great. I never got nauseous at all, I praise God for those pills!
Cruise We were very pleasantly surprised by the size of our stateroom. There was plenty of closet space, a king size bed, and lots of light. The bathroom really shocked us, we were expecting tiny but we were both able to fit in it comfortably together. It was very clean and felt nice and comfortable.
We had requested the 6:15 pm sitting for dinner but were assigned to the 8:30 sitting. When we checked the daily itinerary that would have meant that we would have missed all the shows and games we were interested in, so we went to the maitre d' as instructed to see if we could get it changed. This was our first task at trying to find something on the ship. Needless to say we got very lost and ended up going in through the back door of the restaurant. But once we found him the maitre d' was very kind and helpful. He changed our time to 5:45 pm with no trouble. Remember the maitre d' is one of the few people that are not included when you purchase the prepaid gratuities, so he really appreciates a few dollars.
The food on the ship was wonderful. The 24 hour pizza and ice cream were just what the doctor ordered. The lunch buffet was beautifully done and delicious. We were able to sample everything. The selections in the dining room were very impressive. I ordered as many appetizers and entrees as I desired without feeling strange and when I didn't like the dressing on the Caesar salad I was brought soup instead right away. We ate breakfast in both the dining room and the buffet and enjoyed it immensely. I liked the atmosphere of the dining room but liked the freedom of having the buffet open until 11 am for breakfast. My husband and I do not drink so we had the juice and tea that was complimentary with meals. However by the end of the first day I discovered that I needed to purchase the soda card so I could receive beverages at the bars throughout the ship and from the waiters during the shows. While tea, coffee, juice, and milk are always available at the buffet on the lido deck, and you are perfectly welcome to take your beverage with you wherever you go, it was not very convenient when sitting in a show at the front end of the ship to walk all the way to the back to grab a drink. So I purchased the soda card and had a great time ordering from every bar I passed and at every show or game we went to. Gratuity is already added to the purchase price of the card and the serving staff are included in the prepaid gratuities so I did not feel pressured at all to tip any additional amount with each drink I ordered.
One more tidbit of advice, go ahead and complete the room service breakfast order sheet you will find in your stateroom. Even if you are planning to eat breakfast in the dining room it's great to have some fresh fruit, coffee, and a bagel delivered to your door when you first wake up. Since you will want a drink before you leave your room and the mini-bar sodas are $4 apiece you can save yourself some unnecessary expense by ordering breakfast. Plus you will be hungry again by the time you get through the shower, get dressed and are ready to head to the dining room for a waffle. The portion sizes are kept small, which I appreciated since I was able to sample and graze constantly without stuffing myself.
There was plenty to do on the ship without spending any additional money. Lots of window shopping, games, karaoke, shows, not to mention the pool and Jacuzzi. We had a great time playing miniature golf on the top of the ship, and sitting in the Jacuzzi under the stars. Since we weren't interested in the "adult" comedy show, we would take advantage of the Jacuzzi at 10 pm when no one else was out there. We had a lot of wind and bit of rain on one of the days so we never went in the pool, not warm enough. We stayed away from the lido deck during the peak hours when many a drunken college age man could be found doing "body shots" off a scantily clad woman. (I thought this was a family cruise?) But really it wasn't that bad, everyone on the cruise was very nice. The staff was exceptional. Not a grumpy expression the whole time.
The shows were excellent. I have no idea how those girls can dance like that in high heels on a moving ship, but they do a great job! I would recommend sitting on the lower level if you are a person who likes "getting into the action." The people in the balcony tend to be "fuddy duddies." We skipped playing bingo at $10 a card and decided to spend our $10 in the casino. We got an hour's worth of fun at the slot machines and video poker for our money, so I think it was worth it. The TV in the stateroom has a channel that will show you exactly how to play all of the casino games so you don't have to feel like an idiot when you head down there for the first time.
We were only in our stateroom for sleeping (wink wink) so I wouldn't have spent the extra money to upgrade to an ocean view or a veranda, it would have been wasted on us. There were always things to do on the ship, and when we arrived in Ensenada it was time to explore. We were a little nervous because we hadn't planned any shore excursions, and instead we decided to go it alone. I'm very glad we did. The tourist area consists of about 3 square blocks. You would not want to venture any further. Once off the ship there was a small shopping area right in port and busses that took you into downtown and back for $3 a person. The entire drive they try to sell you on taking their bus tour to the blowhole for $25 a person, but they do it in an entertaining way so it's still fun. We decided to stay in the downtown shopping area and pick up some souvenirs for the kids. We had a great time walking through all the shops and finding just the right trinket for each person on our list. A bit of advice, never buy from the people on the street. No matter what kind of deal you think you are getting you will find it cheaper at a shop a few doors down. Trust me on this. Also, don't buy Chiclets for $1. Those kids are being exploited and giving them money only perpetuates the problem.
After a couple of hours we had finished exploring every store within the 3 blocks and were ready to head back to the ship for lunch. We took the bus ride back, had a wonderful lunch at the buffet and were ready to head to a game of "Battle of the Sexes" when my husband broke his belt. This meant it was time for more shopping. Off the ship we went. We decided not to take the bus this time since we knew where we were going and we now knew that the walk was only 5-10 minutes. Shopping for something specific that you need is much different than just looking for souvenirs. But we were again pleasantly surprised by how nice people were. We would walk into a shop and ask if they had belts, if they didn't they would gladly tell us exactly where we could get one with a genuine smile. We ended up getting a very nice belt for $15, the lady even changed the buckle to fit my husband's taste. We were pleased.
Disembarkation Unfortunately the time came when we had to leave the ship. We had two choices, we could carry off our own luggage and leave anytime or we could pack up the night before and leave our luggage in the hall to be taken off by the crew. If we left our luggage out we would have to wait until they called our "zone". Once our zone had been called we could leave anytime after that. My husband was not comfortable with leaving our luggage outside our room (neither was I, just seemed weird) so we elected to carry it off ourselves. Most people elected to carry their own luggage so they could leave the ship early. This seemed strange to me as I was in no hurry to leave. We woke up and had breakfast at the buffet before heading back to our room to pack. I noticed the line to debark. It started at the bar in the grand atrium and was packed all the way down the ramp. People stood there for over an hour holding their luggage to get off the ship. I couldn't understand why they would do such a thing when they could be sitting down relaxing and having a nice breakfast. We packed up and left our stateroom at about 9 am. There was still quite a line to debark so we headed up to the Lido deck to wait and have a drink. The buffet was open so we had a snack and glass of tea and enjoyed the beautiful day. We took this opportunity to go check out all the pictures they had taken of us and purchase a couple. They are quite pricey and great quality so it was very tempting to blow our budget. We decided to buy a very nice 8x10 of us for $23 and a beautiful sandwich frame that came with a photo of the ship for $5. It was well worth it. At about 10:15 am the line was gone and they started calling all of the "zones" to debark. So we grabbed our luggage and off the ship we went. We made it through customs and out into the real world within 30 minutes. I would highly recommend relaxing and waiting on the ship the morning of debarkation.
If at all possible make your flight late enough that you don't have to rush and can enjoy the last moments of your cruise.
There is absolutely nothing negative I can say about our experience. It was truly a God-given vacation and I am very grateful for it. We did have a day of rocky seas, but as long as I kept up on my motion-sickness pills I had no problem. I will definitely cruise again, and probably on Carnival. They did a great job at a great price and had awesome service.
by Rita M. Ippoliti
2 Reviews
Publication Date: March 14, 2008
This will be a very general review, listing my impressions, since I was only onboard the Paradise for four days. I normally would not sail a Carnival ship because the brand just doesn't suit my particular cruising style. I only took this cruise to attend a 30th Anniversary Battlestar Galactica Fans Convention that was being held onboard the ship on this sailing. Because I was busy with various convention activities, I did not have adequate time to thoroughly explore the ship in order to present a comprehensive review. Perhaps others will do that in their reviews.
I am a single woman, age 52, and traveled on this sailing alone.
Embarkation Embarkation was relatively easy despite the fact that this ship holds over 2000 people. I'll be honest -- I was expecting a mob scene, but the whole embarkation process was very well organized.
I got to the pier relatively late -- at around 1:00 p.m. -- so perhaps that has something to do with the lines not being too bad. A good friend from the CC message boards, Copper, picked me up at LAX and drove me to the Long Beach Cruise Terminal.
He told me he would meet me right outside of the United Arrivals Terminal, and I couldn't understand how he would be able to get away with parking there. Well, that's simple. He was in his Black and White. He's a cop. Hence, his screen name Copper.We made it to Long Beach in no time (and, no, he didn't run the lights and siren), but traffic wasn't too bad so we made good time. It didn't take very long to dump the luggage and get on the ship. So, I give Carnival an A for embarkation procedures.
As a sidenote, I wouldn't normally recommend flying cross-country on the same morning as a cruise, but in my case, I was really boxed in for vacation time since I was taking another cruise right after this one -- for 35 days. I also knew that the Paradise would be at Catalina Island the next morning and if need be, I could catch the ship there if I missed embarkation in Long Beach. Fortunately, both my flights were on time and I made it to Long Beach in plenty of time for the 5:00 p.m. sailaway, but I wouldn't have cut it so close normally.
Cabin I believe I was on the Empress Deck -- can't quite remember Carnival's deck names -- but it was on the same level as the Internet Center. But I was in an inside cabin. The cabin was adequate, though I was disappointed to find that the beds were in an "L" configuration and could not be put together. Thus I was forced to sleep in a twin bed for the four nights. I could have dealt with that if that was all that was wrong with the cabin, but there were other problems as well.
The cabin itself was cold. I didn't initially notice this because I was running around unpacking my carry ons and getting settled. When my one large piece of lugggage arrived, I used the spare bed to house that since I had no intention of unpacking everything in there since most of it was for the next cruise, the 35-day one. I set the suitcase up on the spare bed and then just removed the few things I would need for this cruise.
When I finally noticed that the cabin was awfully cold, I looked for a thermostat so that I could raise the temperature. Guess what? No thermostat. I tracked down my cabin steward and asked him how you control the temperature in these cabins. Guess what? You don't, is pretty much what he told me. He did point out a vent in the ceiling and said he could try to close it somewhat, which he did. But it really didn't help that much and I wound up sleeping with several blankets every night.
I'm used to Holland America ships where they give you some nice toiletries in your cabin -- Elmeris products. Here what I got was a small wicker basket with some "sample size" containers of various name brands of things like toothpaste and disposable razors. Why I had two disposable razors, a small tube of toothpaste and not much else, I have no idea. But that's what I got. Shampoo and body gel were dispensed from a dispenser contraption located within the shower.
I have to say that the cabin was not very clean. It was not overtly dirty, but that evening when I went to bed, I happened to brush my hand along the ledge above the bed. There was an unopened (thank God) package of condoms up there. Frankly, if that cabin had been thoroughly cleaned, I would have never found that. It had obviously been left by the previous occupants leading me to believe that this cabin steward wasn't very thorough in completing his work duties.
The bed was fairly comfortable, though the bedding, especially the bedspreads, looked old and dingy.
Except for the cold temperature in the cabin, however, I would have to say it was adequate, though far from luxurious. It was a decent size with a pretty good amount of closet and storage space, so considering I paid for an inside cabin -- I guess I got what was advertised.
Ship Here's is where this review will get very general. I only had four days on this ship and spent most of that time attending convention activities, so I really didn't make a thorough survey of the ship. However, what I will say is that this isn't a very clean ship. I don't know if the reason for this is because they are shortstaffed, or if the workers just don't care, but the whole ship seemed "dirty."
For example, I would usually sit out on the Lido in the mornings having a cigarette after breakfast. Rarely did anyone come around emptying the ashtrays or cleaning off tables where people had eaten. One morning in particular, I saw a table a couple up from the one I was sitting at that was laden with dirty dishes, its occupants long gone. I needed to head to my cabin for a moment to pick up something I had forgotten. When I returned about half an hour later, and resumed my table for a final cigarette, that table was STILL laden with dirty dishes. No one had come to clear it in all that time. There was a chair near mine where someone had left behind an orange. It was just sitting in the chair. No one had removed that either. To me, this is inexcusable. Someone should be out there constantly sprucing things up; emptying ashtrays, removing used tableware, etc. Not on this ship, however. And that's strange, too -- because there is certainly no shortage of bar waiters coming around offering drinks, even in the early morning hours!
The public restrooms were not kept very clean either. The couple of times I used one, I noticed that it could really use someone to come in and clean up. Another convention attendee told me that she was absolutely appalled by the condition of some of the women's restrooms, especially the ones on the Lido. Again, there is no excuse for this. It is basic maintenance that should be provided at any resort -- including on a cruise ship.
So I give Carnival about a C for ship cleanliness.
Food Service I certainly didn't eat in all the venues onboard this ship, but I have to say that the ones I did eat in, primarily the Lido and the main dining room, were fine. The selection was good, and the food was great. I'm not a lunch person, so it was only breakfasts and dinners that I partook of. Breakfast was always in the Lido and dinner in the dining room. Service was reasonably quick in the Lido and the food items tasty. I was traveling as part of the Battlestar Group, so we had an assigned group of tables in the dining room. The celebrities in attendance would "rotate" tables so that everyone got the chance to dine with a few of them over the course of the four day cruise. The food choices each night for dinner were plentiful. I enjoyed every meal I had there and could always find something to suit my somewhat picky tastes. Service was excellent and the waiters seemed to have no problem catering to special requests. The dining room itself was attractive and it was a pleasure to dine there.
I give Carnival an A for food service and presentation.
Public Areas I noticed that most public areas of the ship were cold. It didn't take very long for most of us convention goers to learn to bring along a sweater or wrap to many of our group's activities. But other than being cold, the meeting and conference venues were certainly adequate. It appeared that Carnival had competent personnel onboard to assist the Battlestar Conference planners with anything they needed for particular events, such as projection equipment, sound, adequate seating, etc.
As for other public areas of the ship, I can only comment on those I used. I went to one cast show and the theater was certainly nice. I also went to the piano bar one night and found it to be rather small, though adequate. Again, I noticed that rarely did waitstaff bother cleaning or replacing ashtrays, as least not while I was there, and I found this odd since it is not what I am used to when on a cruise.
Entertainment and Activities I really didn't participate in any of the Carnival shipboard activities, preferring instead to attend the ones specifically for the convention. However, I noted from the Daily Program that there were certainly plenty of them -- far more than I normally see on Holland America. There was also a wider variety of activities, for people of all ages and tastes, and I could well see that no one need get bored on this ship. There were sports-type things, as well as poolside activities, art auctions, bingo and casino-type games. In the evenings there were shows, as well as karoke and other goings on in the bars and lounges. Like I said, I'm at a disadvantage in commenting on these, because we had our own activities specific to our convention and I participated exclusively in these.
I did see one cast show and found it to actually be superior to what I am used to on Holland America. The lead female singer in particular was excellent and the show well-produced. It would seem that Carnival places a high priority on quality entertainment and it shows -- at least from what I saw.
Fellow Passengers Contrary to "popular" opinion, Carnival Cruise Lines would seem to have an undeserved reputation for running exclusively "booze cruises." This one certainly wasn't like that. Sure, there was a brisk business at the bars, but it wasn't like everyone was drinking themselves silly all cruise. Now, from what I understand, it could be that because this cruise ran from Monday until Friday, there was a different type of passenger environment than you would get on one that ran Friday to Monday. This group was primarily couples and families with kids. Most seemed to be young to middle aged with a smattering of older folks. None of the kids that I saw were unruly -- they were just kids onboard to have fun and they appeared to be well-behaved and mannerly. I give credit to Carnival in keeping things orderly at the pool area too. They have a large snaking waterslide, and a Carnival employee is stationed at the entrance to regulate how many people are at the top of the slide at a time. This cut down on the normal pushing and shoving you can get, along with the resulting risk of injury.
Carnival also ran a full children's program on this cruise, and while I know nothing about its details, I do know that it must have been good because you didn't see hoards of children running wild all over the ship. Even at night, I didn't notice any of the normal "horseplay" you would expect to see around a ship that was carrying lots of families with kids.
I talked with several other passengers out on the Lido in the mornings, many of whom were not with our conference group. Most seemed friendly and good natured, and I enjoyed their company.
Decor The only thing I can say about this is "huh? Eggs? What's the deal?"
The entire atrium area is festoned with what I can only characterize as eggs. They are on the elevators, the walls, everywhere. Maybe that was the theme of the ship when it was designed? If so, it's ugly. The eggs are also a wierd aqua greenish color that maybe was attractive when the ship was first rolled out, but appears ugly now. Several people from our convention group commented on them, trying to figure out why? I mean, I could understand seahorses or mermaids, but eggs?
Ports I really can't comment at all on the ports since I didn't leave the ship at all. I had made the decision not to venture out into any ports on this sailing specifically because I had already spent a bundle on shore excursions for my next cruise, a 35-day Hawaii/South Pacific voyage on Holland America's Statendam. I just wanted a relaxing four days on the Paradise, participating in the onboard Battlestar Galactica Fans Convention events.
This cruise, however, began in Long Beach and visited Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico. It also had one "Fun Day" at sea before returning to Long Beach for disembarkation.
Internet Internet would not normally be a category included in a cruise review, but I had to include it here because of what I encountered while on the Paradise.
I was scheduled to be away from home for 40 days. This was the first cruise and another one was to follow that was 35 days in length. Therefore, I brought along my own laptop for use in blogging on that longer cruise, and did not plan on even accessing the internet while on the Carnival Paradise. However, by the last day of the Paradise cruise, I figured I'd better at least check my email to make sure nothing was amiss at home. I have a 94 year old father, and I wanted to make sure that my brother wasn't trying to contact me concerning him.
The internet center was located on the same deck as my cabin, so I headed over there to buy a small internet package for this purpose. First of all, the center was dark and dingy -- not at all what I am used to. However, as long as I can get on the internet there, I figured I could deal with dark and dingy. I wouldn't be in there that long. Wrong! I found the center to contain an adequate number of workstations, I'd guess about 20, and several of them were vacant. I pulled up a stool -- yes, the workstations are on a long countertop so you have to sit on a stool (not very comfortable). At the time I was in there, the center was staffed by a manager, who seemed to know his job. He helped me to get an account set up and then I set about getting to my email. This is where the trouble started. Can you say slow? I mean sloooooooooow? It took me over 15 minutes just to get to the first email box, and I knew all of the appropriate internet addresses. They were written on a piece of paper that I had with me. Everytime I would try to access something, I got the indication that my request was proceeding, a little circle going round and round. It should have been a snail. I had purchased a 30 minute package figuring it would be more than adequate for my needs, but I wound up using close to 45 minutes -- at pretty hefty charges too, I might add.
I think that between the 30 minute package, and the overage, as well as the additional charge to print out one email, I spent close to $30 bucks! All that to check email. I should have waited and just done it the next day when I got to my hotel in Vancouver.
I realize internet service on cruise ships is never going to be fast, but this was ridiculous. A dial up connection would have been three or four times faster. I've been on cruise ships and I am familiar with the limitations of onboard internet service, but this was way beyond any of them. When I mentioned it to the internet manager, how much time this was taking, he pretty much shrugged his shoulders as if to say "what can you do?" My response would be "plenty! Improve your service!"
So just let this be a warning to you. Unless you have no problem spending a bundle, don't plan on using the internet on this ship!
Conclusion I realize this is a far from comprehensive review of the Carnival Paradise, but I've tried to make it as balanced as I can. The bottom line is that there were some good points (the food) and some low points (the cabin and the cleanliness level of the ship), but overall I would say that I got my money's worth on this sailing. I had a great time at the Battlestar Convention, though I had a few issues with that as well. I didn't spend a whole lot of money on this sailing, in fact it was actually rather cheap, so I guess I got what I paid for.
If you were to ask me if I would ever sail the Paradise again, I would have to say probably not. Not unless the ship underwent a major overhaul and the service staff some major retraining. But I would have to say that I got my money's worth out of this sailing, so I guess it wasn't all bad.
I would have to add that in all fairness, Carnival is not my preferred cruise line and I knew that going in. So, maybe I am being a bit more critical that I should. But I just know that when I take a vacation, I like to be waited on, and I like a high level of service. When I sit down at a table on the Lido, I like it to be clean, and the tables around me clean. I like elegant public rooms with a smiling staff wanting to meet my every need. I don't think I always got that on this cruise, and for that reason unless there was really something special going on during the sailing, I doubt I'll ever set foot on the Paradise again.
by LEN C.
3 Reviews
Publication Date: February 26, 2007
History: my 13th cruise, 6th on Carnival. Being the Paradise was the last of the Fantasy class ships it was what I expected. I do prefer the newer Spirit & Conquest class, however was going to be in LA and couldn't pass up the low cost of this 4-night sailing! Plus got an automatic upgrade from a 6A to 6D (ocean view) on the Empress deck. Our cabin was midship and in a nice location for easy access to all the public areas.
Since I am from the east coast we flew into LAX the day prior and also stayed 2 extra days in the Los Angeles area after the sailing to make it a week vacation.
Check-in at Long Beach: Well lets just say I have had smoother check-in's, however it seemed that most people arrived early at the terminal. When we arrived about 12:15 there was a long line that 'snaked' around outside of the terminal. Once they opened the doors they would let people in by groups I would say 25 or so at a time. I assume this was to prevent massive congestion inside the terminal building.
Overall it wasn't too bad and we were on the ship about 1:30 or so. Cabins were not ready until about 2PM so we had a drink at the atrium bar until they opened the firedoors to access the cabins. Unpacked our carryon's then up to the Lido for lunch.Food: Fair to Poor. I have had much better meals on Carnival. It was hit or miss in the Destiny dining room where we had late 8PM seating as requested. The Paris restaurant on the Lido was typical Carnival buffet, not much to comment about here since I feel a buffet is just that a quick grab and go meal. Pizza was always fresh and good!
Entertainment: here again I feel Carnival needs to update their shows. The past couple of cruises I have been on at least one, if not both of the productions were repeats that I already saw on other ships in the fleet. Also compared to some of the shorter 4 & 5 day cruises I have taken on the east coast there was much more activity on board regarding music and entertainment. On this cruise there was not one deck party the entire time? They did have a live band playing poolside each afernoon, but nothing at night on deck. Found it to be very mellow for a short Carnival sailing.
Ports of call were Catalina & Ensenada. Have never been to either and really enjoyed Catalina Island. Ensenada I don't think we would ever return! Again compared to the Caribbean port calls in Mexico i.e. Cozumel, Costa Maya we found Ensenada to be NOT attractive at all. We did book a shore tour to 'La Bufadora' (the Blowhole), it was interesting and a good photo-op to see but the open air flea market you had to pass thru first was terrible! Never had so many locals practically following you as you walked to get you to buy something! That got to be very annoying after a while and we couldn't wait to get back on the bus. We found a place to sit and have a Margarita since neither of us were looking to buy.
The staff & crew were very friendly and helpful, and the overall appearance of the ship was in decent condition except for a few items just from normal wear & tear. Again this is Carnival and the public areas showed it with the 'gawdy' decor that it's known for!
Overall we had a relaxing cruise and met some nice people that were our dining mates. Again value for dollar it was a 'no brainer' approx $80 per day/person is what it broke down to! I love to cruise and have learned nothing is ever perfect. I would recommend it for anyone looking to getaway without breaking the bank! Also a good experience for first time cruisers.
by warren grier
1 Review
Publication Date: October 27, 2006
This was our 5th cruise including 3 on carnival 1 on the norweigen dawn and one on the royal carribians flagship the empress of the seas haha. We flew in to lax and meet the rest of our 7 person party for this halloween cruise. 4 people took a cab and it woulda been cheaper to take the 16 dollar shuttle for our 3 person cab because it was 55 for the taxi. Embarkation was a breeze, they made me take my mp3 player off for some esoteric reason, more on the unfortunate case of the mp3 player later.
We spent the first hour getting adjusted to the ship and laughing at a member of our party who had taken the this ship last year but couldnt remember where anything was related to the copiuous amounts of alchohol he imbibed. The aforementioned intoxicated member did remeber enough from te last cruise to tell us we should do the 3 day weekend cruise as opposed to the 4 day weekay crise beacuse the weekend cruise was a way bigger party. We have cruised on this class of ship before on the
elation so we were familiar with the layout of the ship and like it, all the lounges are together and close to the casiono so its just a huge party towards the back of the ship and u can do your own drunken pub crawl from place to place. When we returned to our room our bags were there and we proceeed to unpack. A coworker of mine was sharing our stateroom so she had a fold down bed, our stateroom had plenty of room as carnival ussually does and this is why like to cruise carnival with our 3 year old daughter.THat evening we enjoyed our sdiner however now that we have been on other crusies the food didnt seem as good as good as our first cruise to the mexican riviera on the elation. Norweigen dawns extra priced restaurants are of course better but their regular restaurants fare is not as good. Carnivals deserts are definately the best. After dinner we got ready to party and headed over to the nightclub, the rex. The dj was good but unfortunately had to play music from all time periods so would clear the dance floor with some old lame song everyonce in awhile. The price of beer seems to have increased and so I paid like 20 bucks for 4 beers the first night. This ship this date was definately down to party we had mostly 20-30 year old people on the ship with some groups of single ladies in their mid thirty to forties and a few honeymooning couples, i only counted about 20 teens and less smaller children than that. Our hallway had a party most evenings with people drinking alchohol and fratrinizing. All but one of our party went to bed about midnight that night but we stayed up till 2 am and enjoyed the comedy show.
The next morning we arrived in ensenada and got off the ship about 1230, having read earlier that the trip to the blowhole " la bufadora" was about an hour long and not that exciting we didnt book it through carnival for 58 dollars. On our 3 dollar taxicab ride to town one of the local tourguides talked us in to going to la bufadora for 15 bucks, after being questioned repetedly he assured us it was only a 20 minute ride! however 4 members of our party just wanted to sit @ papas and beers and drink anyway and seeings as how the open container laws seem to be much more lax in mexico we bought 4 buckets of coronas and partied on the way to the blowhole.
Holy shamolies ensenada is the most expensive town we have ever shopped in with most sale items being twice as expensive as you can find in your local swapmeet. other mexican towns and the carribeen offer a much better value. but we didnt take this cruise to shop, the blowhole was kinda interesting. and it was time to get back to the ship for our formal ight. on the wa back we stoped at ensenada proper for some more expensive shopping and some tacos down the streets from papas and beers.
I like the fact that the ports have good security and check all passengers coming back with a metal detector twice and id's. This reminds me of our last cruise in cabo where a mexican soldier trianed his m 16 on me for stepping of the dock totry to get a picture of a crab on a rock!. We dressed up for formal night and had our picture taken. then prepared for another fun night, this time the rest of our party napped after ensenada and were able to go to the club with us the music was good again and we stayed out till about 2 am. We also enjoyed some time in the hottub before lunch, personally id light to soak in a hot tube after midnight but they always close them too early.
The last day at sea was the best, we always enjoy days at sea, i was up early @ 6 in the morning and went for some pilates yoga a 2 mile run and then ab work before 8am, we had breakfast in the formal dining room again and the omlettes were good the eggs benadict was a little dry the 2nd morning. My wife and coworker spent the morning getting mini spa treatments and their teeth whitened, i relaxed in the poolside hottub. So we were exited to do the survivor and amazing race events that afternoon but there were sceduled for the same time? why? So we asked and were told amazing race would be better because the pool was out of commision related to a kids previous accident. We took first place in the amazing race which was a combination scavenger hunt and boat trivia competition. The best thing about wining was the 12 day trip to australia we one for our victory" in that leg of the race" ha no actually it was being able to carry the trophy around for the rest of the nght and anounce ''attention passengers amazing race champions are now entering the pool area". So we then had lunch and prepared to put on our costumes for the halloween bash. A crazy couple were already running around @ 1700 with a sexy cop and fat "scurity guard" so we figured wed change as well. My wife had a sexy gheisha girl costume and i was a kung fu warrior our friend was a bier garten girl, the dance party in the open bar between the casino and lounge and dance club was crazy so we danced there and took pictures for about an hour. The sit down diner was next and t kinda put a downer on the night next time we might skip it and just dance and party all night.
Debarktion was also easy as we had an early flight bpoarding @ 1150 we went to the normandie lounge and got off in about 45 minutes, after an uneventful taxi to the airport and flight home here i am preparing to go the the store to get another mp3 player cause one of the stewards or stewards assistants must have taken it we will try calling carnival and see if it has been turned into lost and found now that they realize they cant change the songs without the software. We will definately do this same cruise next year for halloweeen!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ps watch for a future post as to wether my pilfered mp3 player is returned to me
by Jeff Glover
1 Review
Publication Date: December 30, 2005
To celebrate our 10th Anniversary, my partner & I booked a
2-week cruise to through the Mediterranean next May with my mother
and aunt. As any cruise-addict knows, once you get that cruise-bug
under your skin, you have to scratch it... And May seems soooooo
far away! So we thought we'd satiate our appetite with a quick
3-Day New Years' cruise out of Long Beach over the New Years'
Holiday Weekend. There were two choices: Carnival or Princess.
Since our Mediterranean cruise is Princess, we thought we'd give
Carnival another try (Our first cruise a Carnival Spirit
positioning cruise). Interestingly, the Carnival Paradise,
showed up in dry dock here in San Francisco in early December and
was getting an overhaul of the spa, casino, and fitness areas. What
luck. New facilities to check out, too! There were 3 of us going on
the cruise. My partner & I, and a newbie friend who'd never
been on a cruise before, but was excited to give it a try. After
checking the costs online, we were disappointed to see that the
price was jacked up almost DOUBLE the normal cost for New Years.
So to save money we booked all 3 of us in the same room. This was a
big risk since my partner is 6'3" and over 300lbs, and our newbie
friend is 6'8"! I wasn't too worried about this, because on the
last 3 cruises we've done in the past, we've always just used the
Spa facilities to clean-up in the morning. There's always been a
LOT more room, you can take your time, and and since the ship had a
new spa, I figured it was a good bet. Check-in: Fast and efficient.
The people were very nice. Unfortunately, they didn't have our Sail
& Sign Cards. Something about a cabin change.... So they said
we'd have to get them on board. This turned out to be a major pain,
because you have to SHOW your pass a few more times to get on the
ship. Which meant we had to hold up the line and show our passports
a few times before finally getting on the ship. Once on, we stopped
at the purser's desk we were greeted with our first disappointment:
Riveria Deck.... The very bottom of the ship. No biggie. We'll
live. Cabin: We were happy to find that our cabin was plenty big
for the 3 of us. However it was set up for only 2 people, so we
located our steward who happily reconfigured the beds as twins. I
slept in the fold-down bed and it was just fine. However I hadn't
noticed that the other two got nice cushy down comforters to keep
warm! I got the comforter by the 2nd night and slept much better.
The bathroom was big enough, the ceilings were even high enough for
our 6'8" friend.... Overall, very happy with the cabin. Ship: So we
headed off on the ship tour. Everyone knows this is one of the best
parts of the cruise: Getting to know your ship. The interior design
was straight out of the late 80's/early 90's. Roaming color
"Pin-Point" signage (think: Vegas!) was annoying to read. Brushed
aluminum. Dark woods. All seemed very dated. The elevators were not
all working and the ones that were working were scratched up pretty
bad. The sun deck was basically a massive expanse of decking. Which
seemed bleak. The hot tubs are right out in the middle of
everything, which didn't seem very intimate. I would suspect this
is why they didn't get much use. The Normandie Lounge: It was
so-so. Two levels. The seating was annoying as there's big round
booths on the 1st floor, which were meant to seat 6-8 people, but
there were often taken up by only 2, who sat smack in the middle.
Once they sat there, it was awkward for others to sit in the seat
in front of them. Or scoot in with them. The other seating on the
1st floor was flat bench-like seating. We opted to sit on the 2nd
floor where it was more stadium-like. However almost every seat was
blocked somewhere by the 4-6 poles holding up the ceiling. That was
a bummer. The Shows: Were pretty good. There were two shows with
similar themes. The singers were pretty good. The special effects
and choreography were great. The band did a fantastic job and were
very good. The late night comedian was funny. No major standouts,
but was certainly entertaining. Not overly long either... The
Casino: Was nice with new slot machines. Probably from the overhaul
while in dry dock in San Francisco. They've also adopted a
"Cash-Free" system which allows you to debit form the Sail &
Sign card. That was nice. So we never had to go to the Cashier and
you can cash out TO the card or Cash in FROM the card. A nice
touch. The slots were tight (as expected) but there was a lot of
choice for a small casino. Lounges: There were several lounges
which didn't have a whole lot of distinct characteristics, save the
American Lounge with Brady. He was fun and a nice guy. We enjoyed
sitting and watching him sing. He took requests and was quite
talented. The Nautica Spa: This was a major disappointment. The
bathroom had only 3 showers, two of which weren't working for most
of the trip. No hooks to hang your robes on. Not much room to use
the sink for shaving. The scale was RIGHT in front of the entrance
door, so I suspect there were more than one suprised person who
stood on it naked only to have the door opened wide and the entire
lobby staring at them. The Steam room only fit 3 people and the Dry
Sauna barely worked at all. Very disappointed compared to the
luxurious spas I've been in on other ships. The silver lining was
the all the equipment was brand new and they had some of the latest
technology. Nonetheless, it was not going to be a substitute for
our own st The Food: Another major disappointment. If there was
consistency with Dinner, it as A) Always cold, B) Always terrible,
and C) Always wrong. Our waiter was unresponsive to our needs. The
other people at our table were surprised at his ineptness as well.
Some nights the cocktail waitress showed up halfway through the
meal. The descriptions of the food were in accurate... Example:
"Tiger Prawn with Scallop"... Was basically a tiny shrimp with a
tiny, cold overcooked scallop on top. Flavorless and hardly
appetizing. The Lobster Humidor was completely uneatable. I
actually gagged. And I'm pretty hearty when it comes to food. On
the final night, we just gave up and ate at the Paris Buffet where
we at least knew what we were getting... And we could be sure it
was at least warm. As a side note, when we were headed back to the
room the Headwaiter was in the elevator with us and happened to
ask, "How was dinner?". To which we replied in unison, "Awful". His
reply, "Sorry to hear that..." A good Headwaiter would at least
probe what they can do to improve. He didn't seem to want to know
[what he already was aware of.] Disembarking: It took us far too
long to get off the ship. Granted it was a rainy day in Long Beach,
but it was far too disorganized on board the ship. There was a line
of people that was hundreds of people deep and the end of the line
was unclear. This meant for a lot of line-jumping and angry people
who were told it was time to get off the ship, then had to stand in
line for another hour before they could actually leave. We stood in
line for 45 minutes to disembark, only to round the elevators and
watch people exit the elevators and get right into line. The crew
could have manned the line better to make it more obvious where
people should stand and to not call colors until the line was more
manageable. Conclusion: While there were some bright spots (our
room, our steward, the entertainment) but overall we had a lot of
explaining to do to our newbie... We're sure he'll do a cruise
again, as will we, however it'll be difficult to choose another
Carnival Cruise based upon this experience. I kept thinking, "Thank
God it's only 3 Days in the Pacific and not 2 WEEKS in the
Mediterranean!" Bad food and bad service is only tolerable for so
long. I can only hope our experience in May through the
Mediterranean with my Mother & aunt (another newbie) on the Sea
Princess is more memorable... In the good way...
Expand Review
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