Excellent Service, Cruisline policies not so good

Item: Carnival Paradise
Rating: 3.8
Author: Beardog41

Carnival Paradise Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

Beardog41

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 18

Overall rating:

3.8 out of 5

Verified Review

6 Night Western Caribbean (Tampa Roundtrip)

Sail date: August 07, 2023

Ship: Carnival Paradise

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: R186

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

The food was terrible, the staff was excellent. EVERYTHING seemed to cost extra, we spent double our ticket price on "extras", so much for the bargain. It was an older boat, so stuff was a bit dated, but clean. Not a lot to do and way to many kids running around making it not enjoyable for others as they were unruly and disorderly. Parents fault though, not the cruiseline. Dress codes were not enforced at dinner, lots and I didn't enjoy my buffet when people with dressed inappropriately. Need better enforcement of dress codes.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Not enough activities, small boat. Everything cost extra so beware. How can it be called a gratuity when you are forced to pay it. The service of the staff was outstanding, but our $475 cruise ended up costing almost $1,000 because of all the extra charges. Princess did not charge for all the extras. Also, the food was not good at all. Probably the worst cruise food I've had. I actually lost 2 pounds on an all you can eat cruise.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Pool, Comedy Club, shows. Not a large variety of things to do, small ship.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

The singers where a little poor quality, but the comedy teams were incredibly funny and enjoyed very much.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Top Notch

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Bathrooms as with any cruise ship are always too small otherwise, was ok experience, the windows were quite dirty and covered in sea salt, but I supposed to be expected.

Ship tip

Everything cost extra and the food is not very good.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Tampa, Florida

4 out of 5

Belize City, Belize

1 out of 5

Would not recommend this as a port of call. No much to offer in terms of excursions, dirty place, and did not feel very safe. We only went ashore for about 30 minutes and returned to the boat. Not sure why the cruise lines even chose this port of call, bad choice.

Thumbs Up 0

Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

5 out of 5

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Fast and organized, better than other cruises I've been on.

9 Comments

pamhill7277 1 year ago

I always pre pay my gratuities. That way my extra money is mine and I don't have to worry about if I owe anything. And any extra I spend is my fault not the cruise line. Better luck next time.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

stwoodburn 1 year ago

Every extra penny you spent was your choice. You did not have to spend it.

Thumbs Up 3

Flag

Gwbigdog 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

Itspeace4me 1 year ago

Thank you for sharing.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

Greengator 1 year ago

Cruising isn't everyones cup of tea, that's why you do your due diligence in researching to see if the cruise fits your needs sorry you had problems and thanks for sharing

Thumbs Up 1

Flag

javawoody 1 year ago

If cost is a factor, you don’t need to add extras

Thumbs Up 3

Flag

kdlady 1 year ago

Also, Belize is one of my favorite ports, so if you only stepped off the boat for 30 minutes without exploring, that is your fault!

Thumbs Up 2

Flag

kdlady 1 year ago

Gratuities are optional. If you felt anyone's service wasn't up to par, you had the option to remove it.

Thumbs Up 3

Flag

cruising2004 1 year ago

Sorry you had some issues with your cruise. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

Other reviews of this sailing

Family summer vacation