The trip to Cuba was worth the down-grade of the ship experience and Cozumel is always fun. For this trip it was more about the destinations than the on-board amenities (not many) or food (ho-hum).
Embarkation
5 out of 5
No problems with getting on the ship. We carried our luggage on and went to the dining area where we sat outside and enjoyed lunch.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Carnival Paradise food is average to bland. Nothing new. The handmade pizza is the most exciting thing on the menu in either the cafeteria or the dining room.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Hot tubs were fine but crowded since they were so small. The adult area was popular as usual but we did find spots later in the afternoon when some people had given up.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The dancing/singing troop of 8 (4 men and 4 women) were excellent in their performances. However they material they were given and the awful costumes detracted from the whole experience. What talent they had though!
Children's Programs
No children with us.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Average service. Our room steward did learn our names and greeted us in the hallway. He did skip a couple of clean-up times when we could have used fresh towels and we never got a final bill that was supposed to be slipped under our door.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
The design of the ship was very confusing. I never did get the hang of what was where. And we are seasoned cruisers.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
This was our first try at an oceanview cabin having had balconies before. The large window was fine and bright. What we missed was fresh air. Spray anything in the cabin and it lasts a long time. No way to really control the air conditioning except to turn if off if the room is too cold. But that is the only ventilation too.
This room also had a connecting door at the foot of the bed. We could hear our neighbors conversation and I am sure they heard ours. We tried to be respectful of noise and TV levels.
The TV had a great old-time movie channel and some of our other favorite cable channels (HGTV, Cooking channel) and so we spend a bit more time in the cabin than we normally do. But this compensated for no public movie nights on deck. Would have preferred public movie nights under the stars.
Ship tip
Order the bottled water (12) case to be delivered to your room for about $5. Or you can use a refillable bottle if you don't mind the tap water.
Tampa has an aquarium right next to the pier. We got a half-price discount coming off the ship for entrance AND they stored our luggage for the day. With 12 hours before our flight, we took advantage of the storage and explored Tampa a little bit too.
Lunch was good on the waterfront. Poured rain the rest of the day and got soaked. Don't forget your photo ID as they land on a military base and you need it to get back to the ship.
First, take advantage of any on-board ship lectures about Havana and how to prepare. We are so glad to know about the different types of money, no credit cards, and how to use the bathroom which costs. Our guide for a "Taste of Havana", Joan (pronounced Joe-wan) was excellent. He was knowledgeable about the history and took us on foot to the historic sites where he gave us plenty of time to look around. We went to the hotel where Hemingway stayed and to the bar where he invented the Mojito (and tasted one), to the Floridita bar where he invented another drink (tasted it -- was out of this world), and other notable sites. Included lunch at a wonderful restaurant with real bathrooms (important find in Cuba!) and a classic car ride after lunch. We spent from 9 am to 4 pm walking, eating and drinking and riding and the group was still going to go for beer when my husband and I bailed because we wanted to get back to the ship. Excellent, excellent tour!
We did the "Taste of Mexico" tour at Discover Mexico Park not through Carnival so we got to make our own chocolate bar, have a private tutorial on tasting tequila (3 kinds), and a taco bar for lunch. Our guide Memo (pronounced Me-moe) was very knowledgeable on the culture and history of Mexico and showed us through the art museum and diaramas of Mayan ruins. He was extremely knowledgeable on tequila and gave us certificates at the end for taking his "class."
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