Still better than working, but sadly not much! 🤢

Item: Carnival Paradise
Rating: 3.5
Author: MommaCat43

Carnival Paradise Cruise Review

MommaCat43

Contributor Level: Second Mate

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Reviews: 5

Helpful Votes: 67

Overall rating:

3.5 out of 5

5 Night Western Caribbean (Tampa Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 30, 2022

Ship: Carnival Paradise

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: U22

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

We had really bad timing, especially for this particular ship. We sailed just as Hurricane Agatha was about to hit Mexico from the Pacific side. It skipped over into the Gulf and stayed there throughout our entire cruise. This ship is small and old. The design is really bad for bad weather. Thankful to the captains and crew for getting us safely back to Tampa.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Lines moved quickly. People were friendly. Had to sit for a long time while they verified my son’s covid test results. Don’t make the mistake I did! If you have your child’s test done at the pediatrician’s office MAKE SURE they add your child’s full name, date of birth, date of test, which test (spelled correctly), and result. His DOB wasn’t listed and the nurse spelled “Abbott” wrong.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Guy's Burger Joint

4 out of 5

Food is always good. The weather was terrible so the buns were not soft like they should be. Typical food hoarder situations. One woman in front of us ordered 2 triple cheeseburgers, 2 double cheeseburgers with bacon, 2 orders of fries and 2 orders of onion rings. Don’t be like that. 🤬

Destiny Dining Room

4 out of 5

Staff is always fantastic! Food? Not great but mostly decent.

Paris Lido Restaurant

2 out of 5

Hard to get to when the weather is bad. You have to walk around the pool to access. Travelled during a tropical storm so the decks were always wet. Many people falling. Ice cream machines were perpetually not working. Not enough staff. Bless them, they always keep such good attitudes.

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

Photo Gallery

5 out of 5

Staff was fantastic! Especially Dianne.

Mini Golf

1 out of 5

Course is in terrible shape and is difficult to access.

Entertainment

2 out of 5

Normandie Main Lounge

2 out of 5

You can tell they’re understaffed. They’re trying but the shows were so bad.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Our steward was Gogom. Fantastic! Waiters are always fantastic!

Ship Quality

2 out of 5

Layout is the worst I’ve experienced, especially in bad weather. No food or drink service at the front of the ship (where our stateroom was located). Had to walk all the way aft, through the rain, just to get food or even coffee in the morning. People were falling on the wet decks. ALL of the food and beverage stations (other than one MDR on 8 in front, the other is 8 aft) are located in the same place, 10 aft. I get around ok, but older people in wheelchairs or with walkers were really struggling. With all the food in one place, staff struggled to keep tables clean. No room service available. VERY few bathrooms in common areas.

Cabin / Stateroom

2 out of 5

Smallest cabin I’ve ever had but it was sufficient for my son and me. Window leaked. Staff was great, though!

Ship tip

Get a midship or aft room. Food is all aft. Very few common space bathrooms.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Tampa, Florida

4 out of 5

Going under the bridge is super cool.

Thumbs Up 0

George Town, Grand Cayman

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

2 out of 5

Very slow with long lines.

5 Comments

javawoody 2 years ago

Appreciate the review

Thumbs Up 0

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Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise

Thumbs Up 0

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AuntPinkie 2 years ago

Appreciate your feedback. Sorry you got caught in the storm!

Thumbs Up 0

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byhisgrace 2 years ago

Thanks for your review

Thumbs Up 1

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rpmmenard 2 years ago

Bad weather = poor cruise. The services helped.

Thumbs Up 1

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Other reviews of this sailing

Lots of positive... but too much negative. But the cruise vacation is STILL vacation and better than work!

Fun with family