Carnival Paradise Cruise Reviews - Reviews

First time cruiser here. I had an absolutely amazing time. Already planning our next one. The Carnival team is welcoming, attentive, friendly, warm, and just amazing. From embarkation to debarkation, our experience was top-notch. Our cabin was clean and comfortable, showers so hot you have to be careful! Carnival has an attention to detail in everything they do. The food was very good. Our formal night boasted lobster tail and prime rib. Most employees knew us by name after the first night! There are so many activities on board for our 'at sea' days that we didn't even get to do half the things we wanted! I highly recommend this cruise, in fact, a friend of mine has now booked for September!

Even for a smaller ship it gave me everything I expected for my first cruise experience. Food (dinning room and buffet) was great and the wait staff on the Elation dining room was outstanding, providing a fun memory filled experience. We had a slight I convince of smelling smoke through our in room AC. Our steward did everything he could to fix the problem, but ultimately came down to poor planning on placing the smoking area right by the intake for the front most rooms AC. Pool areas do get crowded due to their small size and mini golf on the top deck on some days is almost pointless due to it being so windy up there and the ball being blown by the wind.

This was my second cruise and although it was nice over all I do wish the food tasted better! I'm a diabetic there wasn't much for me to eat at lunch or dinnet but salads. The entertainment was lame, the adult comedy was good.kids wherever and not under control. Had to ask for my lineing on the bed to be changed and not just made up! But we always had clean towels.

We went to Grand Cayman & Cozumel. Grand Cayman waters were beautiful. So clear that you can not tell if you can going into a deeper parts. We had fun on a bus tour. We visited all the hot shop that people paid much more than we did. Rum cake factory cakes taste just like the rum. In Cozumel we make a mistake an went to see the Mayan Ruins in the summer, there was about one hundred mosquitos to every person that was there. The offer you repellant but it seem to attracted them rather than repel. Kill the fun of the tour. On the ship Paradise it offer every thing that must of their ships, but the dinning experiences always stand out to me. They was a theme every night and we had the best head waiter on board. I took my daughter who is 12. It was her first trip she had a blast. We were even seated with one of my daughter school mate and her family. Which make the experience even better made new friends for life.

Carnival Paradise is a nice ship, small for today's standards (about 70,000 tonnage). We had an inside cabin on Upper deck aft, for 5 of us. We were cozy but comfortable. It was worth it to upgrade from 4A to 4C. There are very few balconies on the ship, so plan on a window room if you choose outside cabin. The ship is best for what it is used for, 4 and 5 day cruises. Service was top notch. Our dinner staff was outstanding, led by I Made and his team from Indonesia. Jeffrey was our cabin steward and his service was top shelf. Adem from Turkey served us sodas with dinner, was so nice, and I kept seeing him throughout the days, he worked hars, wore a lot of hats. Bar staff and all help and crew were very courteous. The whole team works extremely hard to give us a pleasant experience. We left in a middle of tropical storm Thursday but the mood was festive and we were very safe. Sea Days were nice, plenty to do. My wife one $200 on bingo. Steve the cruise director does great job. Casino was very nice, slots were fun. I attended two shows from Punchliners with comedian Thomas Brown. We saw as a family the G rated show, then I alone saw the R rated later show where he "goes there". Both routines were funny. Do not go to the late shows if you are easily offended. The ship allows you to enjoy a variety of experiences. The main pool area is party central during the day. 11 aft has a second pool that is quiet, and 9 aft has Serenity Deck, adults only. Rex Nightclub was hopping every night. DJ played 80's and hip hop mostly, but mixed it up nicely. Camp Carnival was a hit with my 5 year old. She preferred to eat there every night and wanted to return each day. Camp crew were very safe nice people. Cozumel was very fun, went to Carlos and Charlies after my family swam with Dolphins. Safe and pleasant. Bring small bills. Taxi drivers and flea market folks had little or no change. If I forgot anything or anyone, I apologize, I did the best I can on my review. Here are my constructive comments: Beds were hard. Putting in new beds or offering rooms with different firmness would add value. The water slide had a 48 inch requirement. Installing a smaller slide with less height requirement in the kid pool would add value. Also, updating the pools would be excellent, and putting in a big screen movie screen for movies under the stars. The cuisine was good, but I wish there was more variety. Having a better cut of steak than flat iron steak would add value. Lobster night was nice. Buffets were well stocked. The team serving there were very courteous. Ice cream was excellent. Please put ESPN in the rooms. I would like to thank Carnival and its crew for a great vacation experience. Joe R. Valrico, FL

The Paradise is in great shape for an older ship. The crew is extremely effecient and courteous. The entertainment leaves a lot to be desired especially for the evening entertainment - 2 evenings were extremely poor - guest talent show and the juggling and break dancing (very short) show. Have seen the show "Shout" many times over the last 4 years. The casino could have done more with black jack and slot machine tournaments and maybe even special drawings to make it more fun. Would have enjoyed movies in the daytime. The TV channels leave a lot to be desired especially no ESPN and only one news network and very few movies. The lobster and Chateau Briande (sp?) were excellent but the rest of the menu was mediocre and the food was mediocre. Have had better on Carnival. The comedians were great. We are Platinum members and they really did a nice job with embarkation and debarkation.

We had a great time with my girls The crew was great the food was excellent all in all we had a great time. Of course this ship is very much a party ship but I did not see anyone acting crazy. The karaoke was wonderful we had some talent on board the paradise.

I would sail on this cruise anytime of the day. It was so fun and excellent. The service was one of a kind. Also every night I would want to go to the signature dining just to meet Madi Kadek and Hara because they made me feel as if I was in home. Also, every time I left the room to eat dinner I would come back and see the room cleaned up and they would put a little cute pet made out of a towel, you would never find such great service as that, I've been to several five star hotels in NY and there was never service such as the cruises service. I would recommend anyone to come here, whether you are an active person or not. Trust me you will enjoy every second in the cruise. Special thanks to the captain and the crew members .

we had a very enjoyable cruise. The reason for our enjoyment was due to the staff, ie the staff in the dinning room table 217 headed by Carlos who even if you met him on the deck, he would remember your name. We enjoyed the laughter at the table with other travelers and the serving staff. The staff at the staterooms were also great. The would go out of their way to make the trip great. The got us extra items we requested and would make sure these items were in our room R68 each night. They would also remember us by name.

overall it wasn't bad ,our room was clean the food was good,entertainment good, the captain was very unfriendly,it seemed to us we hadn't reached a higher status for him to speak to us,rest of the staff was fine.

Ship was clean, everything was organized, they were prompt, cruise employees were nice polite and helpful. Excursion in Cozumel (Top 10 Shopping) was very nice, educational. I would like to see something like that on the Cayman Island. (Want to see the Island not just the beaches).

I totally enjoyed my first cruise! My daughter and I travelled together. The size of the room was sufficient, the food was spectacular, all the attendants on the ship were super-attentive! I really enjoyed the shows at night.

I loved everything about this cruise. The food was amazing and the staff was really nice and very friendly. The excursions we took were very informative and fantastic. We will be going on another cruise with Carnival when we can it was the best trip ever.

Loved the Serenity area for adults to relax in cushioned lounge chairs with or without umbrellas; plus 2 great hot tubs there! Loved wait staff, stewards, and all servicepersons....so kind and helpful. Dance show performance "Shout" was superb and great fun! Water was georgous! Shopping duty free was excellent, but beware they want to sell you expensive tanzanites all the time. Other travelers were well mannered and cooperative, orderly, etc. Comfy bed, hot shower (very), and we got a special piece of cake to celebrate our birthday/anniversary! We loved it and had no problems at all!

the cruise was only good because with the group of persons we had taken with us. the cruise I felt lack of entertainment in the evenings, especially if you were in the early dinner time. I also thought Bingo was expensive for paying $20.00 for only one game. I had a better experience on another cruise ship (Sensation). The staff were great I have no complaints. Food was OK not great and I thought the dessert menu lacked variety, it seems to be serving the same thing with only a minor change. The steak came only warm not hot as it should be. I will not go on the Paradise cruise again. I would like to try another ship?????????

It was a ok trip have better cruise on other Carnival than the Paradise. Would not go on the Paradise again. Our bathroom had mole around the sink anf the floor in the shower also had mole. The food was ok not anything to write home about.

I had a great time with a good friend of mine. We were welcomed by friendly workers and employees. The food was amazing and the entertainment was memorable. The outdoor activities such as basketball, ping pong, and mini golf were a nice get away. I thank you for your service

it was a very good cruise.the ship was very clean.the food was good .and the service was very good.lots to do i would recommend this trip .the price was great.

Expected Cozumel and Grand Cayman to be little crappy, poor resident stops, but what made the cruise really suck was that the food wasn't that good on board. Sure, the basics like salads and fruit were fine but the prepared meals were far from delicious. Everyone knows that the food is a big part of cruising, especially when you can't just hop off the ship and find a decent meal at any time. Having been hungry for something decent all the time basically ruined any of the positives that may have presented themselves on this cruise. It must be the cooks/supplies at this time of year, because my neighbor went on same cruise last August and food was very good. I guess since it was at an "off" time of year and prices were much lower at this time, they make it up by serving the scraps from the rest of the year. Anyway, since Carnival refuses to reimburse U.S. taxpayers for their $800,000 rescue at sea, and its not like they can't afford their OWN $$, I will never take a carnival cruise again..., unless paid!

Embarkation and disembarkation was pretty good, no problems there. the overall staff on Carnival Paradise was friendly and one or two people tried to go above and beyond to make my experience better but the majority of the cruise was a bit of a disappointment. for starters, a representative guaranteed me that i would get a credit to use onboard. when i got on the ship they had no information on this. they let me call and a rep said she would investigate and would call me back after i returned from my cruise. they haven't called. DISAPPOINTING to say the least. the kid's camp is very unsafe in my opinion. they let the preteens and teens run around the ship unattended. i lost my 12 y.o. daughter when i went to look for her at the camp, the staff member said she was not there. i then found her myself at the Paris buffet restaurant with a gaggle of other kids unattended. This was at midnight because the camp was having a late party for them but this group of kids wanted a snack. Thank God i tell my kids over and over again not to get anywhere near the lido deck railings or any railings for fear they can go overboard. The gaps in those railings are very big. I feel like any small child can fit right through them. After this experience i was hesitant to let them go anywhere alone for too long and they are 12 and 14 so they were not happy. the food at the buffet and diningroom was good but at times there was not enough of a variety and room service was not great, no real hot food and only continental breakfast which is crazy. on the morning of disembarkation breakfast was until 9:30am but they closed the buffet at about 9:10am. i was then trying to toast a bagel and i did not notice that the toaster was unplugged and the staff member who works this station CLEARLY SAW me trying to use the toaster but did not say a word to me. the basketball court was almost non-existent (no real designation for a court just a backboard hung up where tons of people would pass by daily). same thing with a huge beanbag toss game, right in the middle of the lido deck where i got smacked on the ankle by a flying bag. the pools are small and there were not enough chairs available. long lines for the outside grill and mongolian wok food stations and they are akwardly placed on the lido deck instead of being indoors. too much outside noise in the hallway to relax in the spa during a massage. no real promenade, only one store and one gift shop. the main entertainment shows were terrible (cowboy show-really?) and then another show with the same dancers and old fogey music, including once again cowboy outfits and country music. i'm 41 and i know all the oldies and some country music but we needed to hear some new stuff too. i felt bad for the dancers because they were good but the outfits and the music and the two singers were HORRIBLE. the only good entertainment were the adult comedy shows late at night, lots of profanity but we were bored to death so may as well hear someone curse up a storm. it was funny though. and the gender game(men vs women) was also fun. Pina coladas (virgin) were way too sweet to the point of being undrinkable and that is pretty much the only drink i like besides soda. The casino and bars are obviously full of smokers and we are non smokers so we couldnt hang out there. the cruise director was nice but not funny. although he is very talented on the fiddle, violin and juggling. the regular interior rooms (floor 5 ,M96)were very roomy, with a king sized bed for my husband and i two top bunk beds for the kids that would fold back into the wall and we still had enough walking room. Big closets, full size shower. i was happy with that but unfirtunately I will not take another Carnival cruise on the Paradise again and it may be years before i try a different, much bigger carnival ship. This cruise ship is ok for people who are not very picky. I am but i wanted to give it a try since it was my kid's first time. I have cruised on Royal Caribbean several times (explorer of the seas) and there is a difference in service, food and entertainment which is much better .although i don't like the interior rooms on Royal Caribbean, they are too small even for two people compared to Carnival's rooms which are great.