my first cruise
Carnival Paradise Cruise Review to Mexico
4 Night Baja Mexico (Los Angeles Roundtrip)
Sail date: January 29, 2007
Ship: Carnival Paradise
Cabin type: Inside
Traveled as: Singles/Friends
Reviewed: 14 years ago
Review summary
This was my first cruise and it was intimidating to board the ship with all the stations to check in with and fussing with the baggage. I reserved an inside stateroom for only myself and it was very roomy and comfortable. Of course I spent very little time in it after the ship sailed. I chose to not attend formal dinners on the cruise not being very sociable among strangers but instead made the rounds of the informal dining areas. I was happy to see a 24 hour pizza station, my favorite food. The variety of foods for all meals was important as I am a picky eater. I was surprised to be able to get hamburgers and chile and hot dogs on the Lido deck, all of this food leading to a slight tummy ache the last night of the cruise. When it is good, I cannot resist. At night when I returned to my stateroom, the steward had created some sort of animal character by folding towels together. There was a nice variety of shore excursions for each stop, Catalina Island and Ensenada. I chose the glass bottom boat for Catalina Island but afterward it was raining which cut down my ability to explore the island on foot. I chose a shopping excursion for Ensenada and the hostess was very well versed on the city and very informative as to where to go for shopping and experiencing the culture. I had a wonderful Mexican lunch at a Carnival recommended restaurant and bought a few items for souvenirs of the trip in town. The cruise people threw a Mexican fiesta that night to round out an exciting day in Ensenada. The last day was a travel day back to Long Beach and the sun finally came out to allow quality time on deck. It was relaxing to sit and watch the water and later the cruise director put on some entertainment with the passengers in the form of a dance lesson and then a sort of beauty contest for men judged by the some of the women passengers. Throughout the cruise I took time to acquaint myself with the ship and I found new places to be even on the last day, there was so much to see and do. There were nightly shows with great performers, bingo games and dancing and even little get togethers for charades, or trivia quizzes as well as on board shopping for souvenirs. There was ping pong and even a little peewee golf course as well as shuffleboard and a basketball hoop. The people working on board were always very nice and courteous and very patient with a first timer like me. It was sad to pull into port and have to leave but I will be back again having had a wonderful experience made better with wonderful people helping out.Ports of call
Pros: The friendliness of everybody on board who worked for the ship
Cons: Not knowing for sure where to meet for shore excursions
Recommends Carnival Paradise? Yes!
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