Dated ship, limited activities, average staff but plenty of drinking

Carnival Paradise Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

jwhite0819

Contributor Level: Third Mate

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 68

Overall rating:

2 out of 5

Verified Review

4 Night Western Caribbean (Tampa Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 21, 2015

Ship: Carnival Paradise

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: U80

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 9 years ago

Review summary

We took 6 children on this cruise, as we are avid cruisers and wanted something reasonable to kick-off summer. Unfortunately, the activities for kids were lackluster, and even as adults we found the offerings to be very limited. The ship itself is very outdated....even our suite was reminder of something from the 80's. There was no sliding door to get out onto the balcony. Rather, there was a huge, heavy wooden door that wouay open for us to enjoy the ocean breeze.

There were plenty of drunk people and aboard this ship - most likely because there wasn't much else to do. The food offerings never changed and were extremely poor. Nothing healthy to be found, and the salad bar was oftentimes empty of both lettuce and dressings.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Very limited choices, and the menus for breakfast and lunch never changed. Absolutely no healthy options, and salad bar frequently was empty.

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

Unless you were drinking, the activities were limited and predictable.

Entertainment

1 out of 5

Entertainment was limited at best, although the comedy club was great. It was also very small and frequently filled by 8pm.

Children's Programs

1 out of 5

We had 6 children with us, and they were all bored stiff. They ended up wandering the ship; the staff in kids programming were not engaging at all. The kids club was very small with nothing but a few video games and a tiny "dance floor"

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Nothing great to acknowledge with the exception of our server who had the patience of a saint with all of our children!

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Ship was dated but mostly clean. Smoke filled the floor where most of the activities were due to the open casino on this area.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Very dated, the door to the balcony was huge and heavy, but it didn't slide open so that it could stay open. Bathroom was old, towels were rough. Not exactly a luxury suite, but it was spacious.

Ports of call

Tampa, Florida

5 out of 5

Very efficient port - got you in and out very quickly.

Thumbs Up 0

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5

2 Comments

glomarrone 9 years ago

I also suggest Disney if you are bring kids on a cruise. Book your next cruise through a travel agent who will know the room's conditions and can steer you to a better selection. RCCL is another good choice. Pick a newer ship.

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Pokergod28 9 years ago

the paradise is the value cruise. do disney if you have kids. the ship was built in the 90s. more money = better everything. you get what you pay for.

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My first cruise I won't take again

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