Disappointed in pool situation. Not enough balcony rooms on this ship to accommodate us. Staff was extremely kind and thoughtful. Enjoyed ports visited. Probably will not cruise with Carnival again because the amenities such as pool. Disappointed in desserts offered from buffet though chocolate buffet was a pleasant surprise.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was smooth.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Excellent server. Food was great most nights, but not always. Never been on a ship that did not have biscuits for breakfast, even on buffet. Very limited choices in buffet line for desserts. Wait staff was helpful, though I was never offered tea on this cruise. It was probably available, but never offered. Accustomed to wait staff placing napkins on lap at evening meal. Servers reached across tables rather than move to appropriate side to serve. Very pleasant server, but instructions would be helpful.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
This was my biggest surprise. There were 2,700 guests on the Paradise but only one swimming pool, and it was no larger than the one in my back yard. Desperation caused me to enter the pool due to heat, but had to be prepared to be touched frequently by folks I did not know. Just no room in the pool. I went to towel folding class. Not many other "classes" offered. Have participated in jewelry making classes, scrap booking classes, etc. on other cruise lines.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
My adult kids and teenage grandkids enjoyed the music venues.n/a
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Excellent personnel
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
This ship did not stress sanitizer, though it was available. Other ships actually have staff at the doors to restaurants to remind you to use sanitizer. Our entire family left with upper respiratory issues.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Great beds, need more storage for unpacking.
Ship tip
Prepare to receive basics. You get what you pay for.
Paradise was my first ship. I thoroughly did my research on Carnival. This app is also very informative. Just do a little investigating next time just like you would if you were searching for a vacation home on land. No different!
There's actually two pools on Paradise.... we just sailed on this ship August 19th..... you have to explore the ship a bit more 😉. The second pool was our favorite !
The Paradise was the first ship we cruised on and absolutely loved it! It's what you make of it. And since you weren't the one who chose the ship, why are you complaining that there weren't enough balconies? You should've valued your son's opinion and enjoyed yourself regardless of your accommodations. Also, how can you say you'll never cruise on Carnival again just because they only had one pool on the Paradise, which btw there are two, and because they didn't have enough balconies to accommodate you? That's a bogus reason. Like others have said, do your research and find one of the newer classes that have more balcony staterooms. They are available. Plus, many of the larger classes have 3 pools and several spas, not just the one you found on the Paradise. And it's obvious that you didn't look very hard at the deck plans, did you? But if you still decide not to cruise with Carnival, that's fine with us because that'll be one less negative person we have to deal with while we're enjoying our Carnival cruise.
There is two pools on paradise and you should of researched your cruise first you went on the oldest and smallest carnival ship one pool in middle on lido. One on aft
^^^ Exactly ^^^ Sounds like you needed 2 balconies. One for them, one for you. Even if it was 3...If they were not available, it's safe to say you did poor research and/or booked way too late. That's your issue. And no cruise ship has large pools. However, almost all do have more than one pool. Most people don't cruise for the pools...hence, small pools. They take up too much space when most are looking for beaches at ports.
There are NO regular staterooms with balconies on Paradise, only suites. You might like a larger class of ships like the conquest class (Freedom, Liberty, Valor, etc).
There was only one pool for 2700 people and it was the same size as the one in my backyard. Not one pool for kids, one for adults. Just one, small pool.
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