Great 4-day Getaway

Item: Carnival Paradise
Rating: 5
Author: dmwc

Carnival Paradise Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

dmwc

Contributor Level: Second Mate

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Reviews: 4

Helpful Votes: 90

Overall rating:

5 out of 5

4 Night Western Caribbean (Tampa Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 07, 2019

Ship: Carnival Paradise

Cabin type: Inside

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

This was an awesome 4-day cruise on a great ship. Paradise may be older and smaller than other Carnival ships, but it's still a very nice ship and a lot of fun was had.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Embarkation was quick and efficient. Only downside was the worker at luggage check-in who pretty much demanded a tip, like it was a mandatory thing.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Food in the dining room was really good and our waiters were awesome. I only had the buffet at breakfast, but it was pretty good. Waffles and pancakes were cold, though. Guy's Burgers was great as usual, and Pizza Pirate was also great, though pretty slow and always busy, even late at night.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Loved the Serenity Deck, especially the hot tubs. They were never very hot, but still nice. The fitness center had good equipment and was well-maintained. I didn't try the steam room, but my friends loved it. I also really enjoyed karaoke. It was always busy, so you had to get there early to get a seat and put your name down to sing or you would have long wait times.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

I LOVED the "Epic Rock" show with the 70s and 80s rock music. This was a very well put together show with great music and singers, and high production values. The comedy show was pretty good. We went to the 18+ show, so it got a little raunchy, but that was expected.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

All of the staff we encountered were extremely friendly and professional. Our waiters at dinner were great, as were the buffet staff. My room steward always had a friendly greeting for me, and he kept the room in awesome shape, even after a little incident one night involving my roommate and seasickness.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

The ship layout was a little bit confusing, as the topmost decks (above deck 10, I think) did not run the entire length of the ship. Sometimes, I would end up on the wrong side when heading toward a specific area and have to go back down and across. For the same reason, one set of elevators only goes to deck 10, while the others go to deck 12. It was easy to forget that. Other than that, the ship layout is fine. And it's a great-looking ship. Everything looks very neat and well-maintained, even though the ship is 20 years old.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

I LOVED this cabin. It has a porthole, so you can see out and get natural light during the day, which I love, especially in the mornings. It's only a 2-person cabin, and it is a great size for 2 people. There was plenty of closet and shelf space. The bathroom is a bit small compared to the one other ship I've been on (Carnival Triumph), but it was fine. The only downside is that because this ship is near the front and on the side, you really feel the motion of the ship. Not only that, but you can hear a lot of sounds of machinery and engines, especially when the ship is docking or leaving port, and it can get pretty loud. I would not recommend this room for anyone who gets seasick or wants total peace and quiet. The room is pretty quiet most of the time, but you will hear a lot of noise at certain times. I don't really get seasick, so this cabin was fine for me.

Ports of call

Tampa, Florida

5 out of 5

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5

This was my 2nd time in Cozumel and it was great as usual. I booked a beach excursion through a third-party (not Carnival), and had a great time. The people in Cozumel were friendly and it was a fun place to see again. Some of the workers in the shops at the port were a bit pushy, and one was downright rude to one of my friends, but that was an exception, not the rule.

Thumbs Up 8