My review of the Paradise Cruise sailing on July 31, 2014

Item: Carnival Paradise
Rating: 3
Author: grandmacruiser

Carnival Paradise Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

grandmacruiser

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 5

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

4 Night Western Caribbean (Tampa Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 03, 2014

Ship: Carnival Paradise

Cabin type: Inside

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 10 years ago

Review summary

I enjoyed the cruise, the only issues I have is that there should not have been a charge for WI-FI and I was very upset to see that the gratuities were already charge on my bill. I like to decide how much I want to tip for services. I had no problem with services but I should be able to decide how much it should be. I would recommend the cruise, but I would warn them about the gratuities. I would have been ok with leaving $50, and would like the difference credited back to my charge card. Thank you.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

the food in the buffet was excellent!!!!!!!

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

everyone of them were great

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ship tip

eat at the buffet, the food was excellent and you can have as much as you like. No waiting to order at a dining table full of people.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Tampa, Florida

1 out of 5

baggage carrier was very pushy about getting a tip, even said "once again, are you going to tip me"

Thumbs Up 0

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5

2 Comments

JusMe 10 years ago

I know people that have the auto tipping removed and still give out envelopes to the deserving staff. Just visit the pursers desk and ask for envelopes and no auto tipping. I can understand though that some people will not tip if it is not auto charged. Cruise ship staff do work very hard long hours and put up with lots of rude guest. They deserve the tips. $11.50 a day is not much, think of how much you would have to tip on 3 meals out a day. I leave the auto tipping in place and if I get exceptional service I give extra cash to that person and tell them It is just for them, that I left the auto tipping in place. I sometimes give the cabin steward a tip at the beginning of the trip if I need something extra from them like blankets or Ice bucket filled twice a day. On RCCL the waiter saw that I did not like the menu, I asked if one dish would be served again and he had it made for me a couple times special order during the 2 week cruise (that cruise had a new menu for the Brits as the ship was going in and out of South Hampton) Tipping is an added vacation expense but it can turn a good trip into a great trip by getting you better service. Like when in Vegas you tip the girl well and you will never have a empty glass in the casino.

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SimonTravels 10 years ago

Hi grandmacruiser, thanks for your review. As an experienced cruiser, I'm surprised that you're not aware that nearly all the cruise lines have switched to "automatic" gratuities, where a set amount per person per day is automatically charged to your onboard account and then distributed to the staff that serves you. It's much more convenient and less cumbersome than having to distribute envelopes to all the crew members on the last day. You always have the option, though, of adjusting the auto gratuity up or down by visiting the purser's desk up until the last night of the cruise. You stated in your review under Crew & Staff that "everyone of them were great," so I'm not sure why you'd want to reduce the compensation the hardworking crew receives. If you'd like to contact Carnival to seek a refund, you can find the phone number and other contact info here: http://cruiseline.com/bonvoyage/before-you-cruise/what-to-know/what-s-the-easiest-way-to-reach-your-cruise-line-

Thumbs Up 0

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