Carnival Paradise Cruise Reviews - Reviews

I have sailed on Carnival ships before but this was by far the best! The condition of the ship was very good (although the cabins could use some upgrading). My daughter and I stayed in an oceanview aft cabin. It was noisier than I had expected because of the engines but heard no people traffic in the halls at all. Food was decent in the main dining room. Loved the pizza and the grille (they were open later than the buffet too). Staff was very pleasant especially the cruise director who was always energetic and doing his best to ensure the passengers had a good time. The evening shows entertainers were not as good as I have seen on other ships but they did a good job on the production of the shows. We stopped in Cozumel and Cayman Islands. The time in Cozumel was too short (7am to 2:30pm). Overall we had a great time and I would recommend this cruise to others who want a short inexpensive getaway.

If you are a first time cruiser or looking for a quick getaway cruise then this might be a good way to go. Do not go in with lofty expectations. This is an older, smaller ship. It is clean with a friendly staff but everything from the entertainment to food and activities are done on a smaller scale than most of the larger ships. Remember most times you get what you pay for and if you keep that in mind you"ll have a nice time.

Went out a day late & went on a 3day cruise to nowhere instead of a 4 day cruise with a stop in Cozumel. The cruise company made up for it with rebates & discounts for future cruises. I felt this was very fair. We had a relaxing cruise, the staff was friendly & helpful. They greatly contributed to our cruise. The food was good & we enjoyed the trip very much.

As we all know no one can control the weather, I get it.. totally understandable, however changing a 4 day cruise to Cozumel Mexico to a 3 day cruise to NO WHERE was not the best choice/idea to make, I would have much rather rescheduled my cruise for another date/month just to be able to enjoy the Water/Beaches/Sands in Mexico than to be stuck on a boat 129 miles from the Port of Tampa for 3 days. 

#notmyfirstcarnivalcruise ... will probably be my last :( #sadday

Our cruise was shortened a day and we never made it to Cozumel. We just  went No where in the Gulf for 3 days. We were told we would get reimbursed for this cruise and half off another one. Still waiting for a word from Carnival?? 

weather was bad, port closed so left a day later. Became a 3 night cruise to nowhere instead of Cancun. The positive side was we were able to choose 50% off or go. we went bc already drove to Tampa. It was not a kid friendly cruise, although they did have some things for them to do. Cheesy type activities and they stayed in one room with barely any kids. Mine are ages 4 and 5. They didnt want to go mostly and they were closed from 3 or 4 til 6. So mine went from 10-230 and 7 to 10. Good news was its free til 10 and only like $7.50 hr after if you use. We bought alcohol package so that was better. But mixed drink with add automatic tip was 10. beers $5.50. Shows were ok but most good ones started after 10 and kids already wanted to come back. If you have children pay extra for Disney. Was really disappointed in the food. It has been better in the past, The pizza was good, and the place where you made subs. The salad bar and burger alright. The main dinner menu was just ok, more like buffet food and not so great. The Dr. Suess breakfast was extra the the eggs were HORRIBLE, no flavor in the bacon. I have gone on 5 Carnival cruises before and dont think the food was like this. Ship is average, nothing fancy or too old.

Although the trip started out with a delay on boarding the ship, our trip was excellent. Especially when Carnival allowed us to spend an extra day and night aboard the ship when the port in Tampa delayed the ships arrival.

This was not a usual cruise, and for us even more unusual.  Carnival knows already that this trip was, due to the vagaries of Mother Nature, pretty much of a disaster at the start and at the end, but for us it was in between, as well.

But putting aside the fact that my husband suffered a blockage of his esophagus late on the 2nd day out, and afterwards could not eat any solid food for 3-1/2 days, which was not helped by the confusion at the end of the trip, I just have to add that we were lucky to debark on the night of the arrival, as he had an appointment at Sarasota Memorial Hospital the following morning at 8:00 a.m. to deal with his illness.  Lucky, because it seems not all passengers who wanted to debark could, due to the working hours of the Port employees.  I should end comment on this complication by saying that everything for us turned out fine.  He had his medical problem attended to, and all is well.  (We had seen the nurse on the ship and were offered the opportunity to debark at Grand Cayman, that the hospital there is good.   But in a call to my husband's physician from the ship it was determined that he should stick with the cruise for the remaining 2 days and an appointment was set up for the day after arrival.)

Well, I know that is not anything you wanted to hear because it had nothing to do with the trip itself and Carnival's part in it.  Just couldn't help throwing it in.  Anyway, I would like to give kudos to Carnival for the way everything was handled.  Conditions had to be continually monitored, and it would have been difficult or rather impossible to deal in an orderly way with everything that was going wrong, but Carnival did come close. 

We appreciated the continual updates, and especially the invitation to return to our rooms when it was apparent that the cruise following us could not possibly go on as scheduled.  And also the invitation to remain for another day on the cruise, treating it as just another day on board.  We couldn't, of course, because of our unusual circumstances, but would have otherwise.

We are not Carnival's target customers; we're much older.  But I was impressed with the work of everyone who tried to make all of the passengers as comfortable as possible.  I watched with a little envy the crowd of younger adults having a ball with the activities that had been dreamed up or kept in reserve to occupy their minds.  They seemed to be totally immersed in the games and fun, and it certainly passed the time in a worthwhile manner.  Those responsible for the entertainment on the ship deserve praise.  They never let up.

We also want to give a thumbs up to all those of the crew who were always helpful, always smiling, and especially our stateroom steward, Agut, who kept everything there in good order.

I also thought the food was quite good.  And that comment refers to the Paris Restaurant, as we never did get to our late night seating; even without the esophagus problem we just do not and cannot eat that late.

And here I might mention the one negative we had:  that perhaps you could try to accommodate more people who don't want to eat that late but have had to accept the late seating, because it was all that was left when we reserved.  We tried to get into the "dine anytime" program, but were somehow too late for that; it was full to capacity.  And we thought we had applied as soon as we could.

Well, that is about all I can think of to say about the cruise.  Basically, we think this cruise was about as good as it could get, given the circumstances.

As Platinum Carnival cruisers and having crossed the Atlantic a few times cruising as wells as more than 25 cruises with almost every cruise line, this was by far the worst cruise we have ever taken. When cruising from Tampa, always check the Fog forecast for before and after your cruise as a starting comment. We arrived at 11:30am as usual, and waited until 9:30pm to board because of the Tampa port being closed. We did not receive a timely notice from Carnival that this was the situation. Coming back to Tampa, we had the same issue and the whole cruise was in a bit of a disarray and we had to spend the night on the ship again as a result of the fog delay on arrival. If that weren't enough, we have for more than 20 years now been able to use our Magic Jack internet telephone on board the ship. Carnival in an effort to make more profit has now restricted the use of internet phones and Magic Jack no longer works. I don't know about most passengers, but we have personal business and other consulting businesses we have to stay in touch by phone. The internet worked very poorly. The food in the buffet was as usual marginal at best made by cooks that don't know how to cook American fare.This would be fine if 95% of the passengers were not American. The comedians were very good; the entertainment is typical and passes the time. It does not an experience make. The on board stores sell the same old stuff and the jewelry and watch sales are identical from cruise to cruise. Our best cruise experience was a Norwegian and Holland American cruise with a great variety of entertainment and things to do that were interesting. I could go on but I am getting tired of complaining about this trip. Better luck with yours! Write a letter to Carnival board of Directors about the phone service.

Embarkation:  Port of Tampa was closed due to high winds and we were delayed in the terminal for over 8 hours waiting for the ship to be allowed in.  They fed us chips and water all day (ugh).  And it was very uncomfortable.  Finally boarded the ship about 6:30pm.  We were so worn out, we went to the buffett, ate and went to bed.

Stateroom:  Was a bit disappointed in the stateroom as it was missing the customary hair dryer and mini=frig we are used to on cruises.  There was plenty of space to store things and the bed was comfortable.

Ship:  the ship itself is an older one and smaller than the later ones, but seems to have most bases covered.  The Serenity area is small but we could usually find a spot.

Dining Room:  We were assigned to the Destiny D.R. late seating.   Enjoyed our dinners there and especially  our waiter, I. Wayan, who ordered escargot for me since I missed it on the first night out!

Entertainment:  We did not see any of the production shows.  They just did not coordinate with our dinner time. We enjoyed the many Trivia games and Bingo and movies on the last day.  Drake who led some of the Trivia and Bingo was terrific and would make an excellent cruise directior.  We especially liked him in the Music Trivia game.

Ports:  We had been to these ports many times before and we chose not to go ashore in Cozumel because the pier is a very long walk and we have difficulty walking very far.  We tendered ashore in Grand Cayman and did a bit of shopping.

Debarkation:  Alas, on our return to Tampa, the port was again closed due to heavy fog/rain which went on all day.  We watched movies in the theater most of the day and spent extra night on board and debarked without incident the following morning. 

Unfortunately, our ship was delayed docking due to storms, so our 4pm sailing was not until around 10pm. We were lucky only living a short distance from the port and Carnival kept us updated with emails and texts, so it was not so bad. The cruise itself was all good, with excellent service and friendly staff. We did not go on any excursions but did go ashore. Cozumel dock was very clean and the enclosed compound was the usual bars and shops, all very nice. Outside was a little bit less appealing. Grand Cayman used tenders to get ashore and was a better experience with a whole different feel. Onboard, the entertainment is good with the musical shows very lively, but sound quality not great. However,the band in the casino bar,Shiplash, was one of the best we have heard anywhere. Having a lot of contacts in the music business we are not just your average listener and they were excellent. Our return to Tampa was another delay, due to fog, docking at 9.30pm instead of 8am. Again Carnival were good, allowing passengers to stay aboard for that night or disembark, which we did. I'm sure the next cruise passengers were not too pleased though. Overall, we were happy with our last minute cheap cruise and would do it again.......checking with Mother Nature first of course.

The ship itself was kept clean for the most part although at times the cleaning in the buffet was a bit slow. The service for the cabin was good, but seemed a bit slower than what I have experienced on other Carnival ships. The main dining room food was good and at times very good. The service in the dining room was not consistent. Some nights it was excellent and other nights it was average at best. The comedy club was very comfortable and a good size for this ship. The comedians put on entertaining shows. The singers/dancers were below average. The dancing was not well synchronized and the singing was at times beyond the capabilities of the singers, or they tried to get too fancy which detracted from the performance. The weather was poor and the seas were rough, but that was beyond the control of Carnival.

the ship was beautiful, the service was excellent, the food delicious but the entertainment wasn't the best.  The singers and dancers were also great but the shows were the same ones from the last few times we been on Carnival.  Singing songs from the past to the present different decades each night.  The cruise director did a great job and his act, playing the fiddle for 10 min. was funtastic.

Two different comedians performed in a lounge which were funny and entertaining but they had a repeat of their routine on another night. A lot of trivia games which we like to attend. Now I can see why Carnival is somewhat cheaper than other cruise lines.

Our last day we had to dock at a cargo port because of weather we guessed. This was not their fault of course but they never announced the reason and we had to stay on board till about 6:00 till we got to Tampa port. They did feed us lunch and had more trivia games and music to entertain us.  We felt sorry for the people that were to get on after us.

We still had a great time which we always do cruising.

It looked like it had been a long time since the Paradise had been revamped. Carpeting was torn up in places, and some rooms were not in very good repair. 

We realize the weather can't be controlled by you, but it would have helped to have 'bags' available for those who were seasick especially Friday afternoon through Saturday morning. Fortunately both my husband and I made it to the bathrooms in time, but there were some who didn't. 

Also your disembarking system was very POORLY organized. Why would those who had cabins on deck 7 take all their bags up to decks 9 and 10 only to have to carry their bags back down to the same floor? Also for those who happened to be in the Normandie room...they were dismissed not by the loudspeaker but by 'Drake' yelling out who could go next, then others kept yelling on to the next group. I would suggest all those special boarders and those on deck 11 go to the Normandie room where they could be dismissed. Then dismiss deck 7 who would stay in or next to their rooms. They could possibly be dismissed by room numbers (__through __). Maybe those who have cabins on 6 could have earlier gone up to deck 8 and cabins on 4 and 5 to deck 9. Then as deck 7 finishes disembarking have those on 8 head down followed by deck 9. It just seems that with the immense task as you have every week there would be a better system that woud work for everyone.

Positives: Excellent crew members! Food was better than I had heard from previous cruisers. 

This was only our second cruise with the first one being 23 years ago. I believe the next time we will just fly in to an all-inclusive resort. 

One last thing...the 8 other couples we were traveling with were all given on-board credits (some had cruised previously and 3 had nver cruised). We were given nothing! 

we decided on this cruise as our anniversary cruise. The employees were absolutely fantastic on the ship! The entire crew went above and beyond to exceed our expectations! I sail wil carnival often and so I noticed that this ship was particularly older. The ship defiantly needs some updating. The room we stayed in had chips in the vanities and the bathroom didn't seem to be the cleanest when we arrived. The drinks on the ship were fantastic! The food was great too. The only big problem I have with Carnical is the drink package. I do not think it is fair for Carnival to make both persons in the room buy the drink package. But over all a good trip. 

I was with a group of 7 people and although we made some great memories, nothing is memorable about the Carnival Paradise. The food was horrible, i actually NEVER FINISHED a single dinner entrée due to the lack of flavor and presentation. The "chicken a la Greque" was literally a piece of green chicken. NOT appetizing

The crew were on the whole friendly and helpful, our cabin steward was THE BEST. Thank you Libertad for your exemplary service. But, unfortunately, one great crew member cant make up for an outdated, beat up ship with lousy food.  

I have been on many cruises, and most of them with Carnival.  This trip was a little disappointing, in that the level of service, and the dining experience seemed to decline since my last cruise.  The requested coffee delivered to the room in the morning was only successful on one of the four days.  Also, our table was tucked next to the waiter's station, and we could not see any of the dining entertainment, (waiters dancing), and never got a look at the maitre'd.  In addition, when I tried to settle my "sign and sail" account, my card was scanned twice.  When I asked the guest relations attendant why he scanned it twice, he said the first scan did not go through.  Apparently, it did.  I am still trying to get my $749.07 back, but my bank tells me it might be next Thursday, maybe.  The final day at sea was 12-15 foot seas, with 50-55 knots wind speed.  Carnival can't do anything about the weather.

This was my first cruise- my wife's second.  The Carnival Paradise is obviously an older ship, and likely one of their smaller ones as well.  We found the ship to be in good order, clean, and everything in our cabin was very comfortable and clean.  Our room steward was outstanding. We enjoyed the food, and the opportunity to just relax.  Perhaps because it is a smaller ship- the shows, etc. were not what we expected and the caliber of the performers was not great.  Our only complaint was the way Carnival handled those who needed wheelchair assistance getting off of the boat.  We were asked to go to a location and we sat there and waited while everyone else got off of the boat- and even watched new passengers come onto the boat before they managed to get enough people and wheelchairs to take care of the dozen or so folks who were needing assistance.  There was no system or order to how they would take folks off.  Seems like they could have a sign in list and take folks off in the order in which they arrived.  Finally, after everyone was off the boat- 5-6 wheelchairs materialized and they got us off the boat- just wondering where they were all morning??  I would cruise again- just not sure I would cruise with Carnival.  

Not happy with the Food, Entertainment, smoking. The food was not what we were use to from carnival. There was not much family entertainment and the people smoked just about any where they wanted on the ship.

All around a great cruise.  I just wish they would do more "game" shows such as "love and marriage".  It would be great to have a "cribbage" competition, card games, play win, loose, or draw or pictionary, board game and more.  All of these games could be offered to all of the cruisers.  I found that there is a lot of "art" and "shopping" but let's face it, we want to have fun without spending a lot.  These games would be successful as I spoke to many other cruisers and they all agreed.

The cruise director, Steve, and his assistant Greg, should look into this especially during at see days.