Hell on the Paradise
Carnival Paradise Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western
4 Night Western Caribbean (Tampa Roundtrip)
Sail date: May 04, 2017
Ship: Carnival Paradise
Cabin type: Oceanview
Cabin number: E90
Traveled as: Singles/Friends
Reviewed: 7 years ago
Review summary
Because I live in it's home port of Tampa, I've been taking the Paradise 1-2x per year since 2008. And while it's never been a "luxury" cruise, it was worth it for the low price, fun vibe and at least it was clean. However this boat and it's crew have been in a steady decline over the past two years.
1) The boat- OLD!! Mildew/ mold all over the old grout in the bathrooms, leaking pipes & shower in the bathrooms, surfaces are torn and ratty, bar stools wobbly, broken deck chairs, inoperable elevators, half-dried pool towels with tired and tacky decor.
2) Staff- they are working very hard but there just isn't enough of them...which makes for unhappy/indifferent/grumpy staff. The only ones smiling were the room stewards and the entertainment crew.
3) Food- it's always been mediocre (you get what you pay for) but now it's just plain inedible. AND unavailable! Reduced hours and long lines. Even the dining room takes forever! Perhaps if Carnival worried less about getting everyone's photo 20x a night, they would have more time to serve the food. (enough with the stupid pirate already).
4) Bar Service- ever since the beverage packages became popular, the bar service has been a problem. It's plain to see that Carnival is trying to reduce their costs on the program by making it nearly impossible to use it. Every cruise has fewer bar tenders and cocktail servers. The staff they have are literally running from open to close, but they just can't keep up. Which makes for a lot of very aggressive and angry passengers. NOT FUN! Waiting for 30 mins to get a beverage is not acceptable. By the last night, it was a mutiny in the casino bar. People screaming, pushing, arguing with pit bosses....a real mess.
5) Casino- always been a problem on this boat- the dealers are the most unhappy group of people I've ever met. Not sure the cause, but if you're going to take my money, you could at least smile and make it fun.
Unfortunately I already have another cruise in July booked on Paradise. But if I have the same experience I had on this trip, I will never be taking Carnival again. There are just too many other options to waste money on a low-quality operation like Carnival Cruise Lines.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
**I heard that Paradise is set for dry dock and updates in Feb. I hope Carnival listens to it's customers and takes the time to do a MAJOR overhaul. I would give it another chance if they did.
Ports of call
8 Comments
ScottNWDW 7 years ago
I was on the cruise before you and did not experience any of the issues you mentioned. The only thing I could find wrong with the whole thing was the photographers with the fake background on Carnival Blvd every 10 feet wanting to take a picture. I've been on several cruises and this one was just as good as all the others. The ship is old, but I found it to be spotless. I did not see any mildew at all anywhere and whenever I wanted any food it was plentiful. In the Destiny Dining room I kind of felt rushed they kept bring stuff out quickly.
As far as the bartending goes, The first day took awhile, but then again you have about 2000 people boarding and they all want a fruity cocktail before the ship leaves, so yes the bars were busy. Once we started though I did not experience at the bars.
Every crew person we came upon was always friendly and smiling. Nothing in this world is perfect and maybe you should go on with the intention of having. good time and stop looking for the worst in everything.
Perhaps because you've cruised Paradise several times, you should try another ship instead of always the same ship. As far as the dry dock goes, Paradise is scheduled for a month-long dry dock where they usually only keep them out for 2 weeks, This one will be 4 weeks and from what our cruise director said almost everything will be redone.