Great introduction to Cuba

Item: Carnival Paradise
Rating: 4.3
Author: csnomad

Carnival Paradise Cruise Review to Cuba

csnomad

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 7

Overall rating:

4.3 out of 5

Verified Review

5 Night Key West & Havana Overnight (Tampa Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 02, 2019

Ship: Carnival Paradise

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: M25

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

As a first time cruiser this was a great choice: not too long, fascinating final destination.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Fast and easy, unfortunatley not enough space on deck to wait before the rooms were readyy to

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Main dining was great and the buffet was ok. We did not use any specialty restaurants.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

fitness center - the classes times were not clearly communicated and we purchased classes that we were then not able to use.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Comedy was good, the large stage shows was just ok. The lecture series on Cuba was great and really informative.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

all service staff were fantastic, specifically our room steward and main dining staff.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

The ship was very clean, however the overall aesthetic of the ship felt old/traditional. It could use some updates that would help it look make a bit more modern and fresh.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Great. No complaints.

Ports of call

Tampa, Florida

4 out of 5

better than anticipated. Very nice riverwalk, old town, and restaurant area by the cruise terminal. The aquarium was also a nice treat.

Thumbs Up 3

Key West, Florida

4 out of 5

snorkeling was really nice. However it would have been nice to have a little more time to explore, we were only there long enough for the excursion and could not see anything else.

Thumbs Up 1

HAVANA, CUBA

5 out of 5

Terminal is conveniently located in Old Havana. Customs is a breeze! Lots of great things to see, would have been nice to have more time there than another full day at sea. We did a car tour, a afro-cuban religions tour and went to the Tropicana. All were highly recommended. It was more expensive than we were expecting, bring about $200 per person per day...cash only!

Thumbs Up 2

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

1 Comment

Other reviews of this sailing

Interesting

Beautiful scenery, loved Havana. No time allowed to shop there tho. We arrived on Monday, when their market is closed. :(

Really great trip...just a few hitches...