Is Carnival Paradise That bad!

We have sailed her 3 times, she remains my favorite ship to date. I've been on some bigger ships such as the Liberty and the Glory...I find that for me I know I can find food somewhere on the ship that I'll like..I know where my cabin is and that it's comfy, I know how to get to the casino and how to order a drink, I know how to find a lounge chair in the sun near the pool or on the serenity deck. Those are my basic requirements for myself..for the ship as long as it sails, I don't have to clean anything or cook anything, the lifeboats work and I can find my way around then I'm all good. So basically I guess my advice is you'll never really know unless you try, someone else's experience may not be YOUR experience. You may have the time of your life but you'll never know for sure if you listen to anyone other than YOURSELF. ;) I hope you give it a try!

We have a WINNER!!! :D

I agree with this post 100%. Every ship we have sailed has had tons of negative reviews... We have had a great time on all of them!

Mike

Elainmir had a great response. I just completed my 7th sailing on the Paradise and had a great time! Yes, the ship is old, but it really comes down to what you are looking for in a cruise. It doesn't have the bells and whistles the larger ships have, but you will still have fun, you won't have to cook, you won't have to clean, you won't sink, they have alcohol, they have food, they have the casino, they have entertainment. ENJOY YOURSELF!

Good question Ruthless! I was told that he retired, but I've not been able to find anything about where he might have gone. I know he is from California, so that's probably where he went. I'll sure miss him when aboard "Paradise" as he was one of my favorites. (Bet Calvyn can't even play the fiddle!) ;)

 

"SKY"

My mouth gaped when he played the fiddle, it was so surprising.

I wish they'd fix up the pool area like Inspiration or Fantasy. I like Inspiration better. I was on one Paradise cruise and the hallway where my cabin was was orange. Didn't have a great trip. Went again on a blue hall and had a great time. I know how dumb that sounds but it really did seem to affect me.

Had the worst steward--I'd ask for early service as I was staying on the ship in port and would need ice in my cooler. "You'll be first," he said. By 12:30 I still had no ice and I was the last cabin cleaned and serviced. He did that everyday.

It's not nearly as nice as most any other ship. I know Sky loves it.

Thanks everyone for your input. We have decided to book it tonight. It is a great price, only minutes from my daughter's home, and seems like it will be a great cruise.

Thanks everyone for your input. We have decided to book it tonight. It is a great price, only minutes from my daughter's home, and seems like it will be a great cruise.

My husband's parents live near Tampa, so we will be going to visit them for a few days and then board the Paradise this September. It may not have all the bells and whistles, but as long as I can find a chair in which to view the sea, I will have a wonderful time.

Just got off the Paradise about 2 weeks ago. Yes she is old and decor reflects that. Yes the pool opportunities are very limited and we never used them or the hot tubs, but would I cruise her again....ABSOLUTELY!!

I felt the dining room staff, and the deli staff were working short staff and consequently patience is needed. But all of the staff were friendly and accommodating.

I have been on better and I have been on newer ships that were in much worse condition...not only cosmetically but I felt had some safety issues.

Bad is a relative word, if the ship fits your budget and schedule then got for it. Your happiness and enjoyment is determined by your attitude...IMHO.

Go and enjoy!

We are considering this particular cruise because our daughter lives in Tampa, and we could spend the weekends with her and our grandchildren. We are usually loyal to Carnival, but reviews talking about two-hour dinners, bedbugs, rude or apathetic staff, and long buffet lines (while other food stations are closed) have us very concerned.

 

Maybe we should consider another line.

I can only speak for myself, of course, and once on that ship was enough for us. We experienced everything you mentioned except for the bed bugs.

Kinda " as per John H " he has retired in Calif. When Larry was sick & after he passed I sent messages to Steve through John. Must say Steve didn't respond even though I know John gave him the messages. :(

 

Char

Sorry to hear that Char. Steve was a bit hard to "get to know", and frankly, I wasn't crazy about him at first, but the more I sailed with him, and the more I talked to him, the better I liked him. Finally got to the point where he was like a "long lost buddy". So sorry that he didn't at least acknowledge the fact that Lar was having major health issues. :confused:

"SKY"

Hi Everyone, my first post on Cruisecritic.

Well I sail on the Paradise on the end of January and I will post my honest review of it when I come back.

I know the Paradise is older and smaller than the Dream & Splendor but I'm still excited to go.

Years ago I sailed on two smaller ships on different cruise lines and I enjoyed them.

First time going on a five day cruise. All others have been seven.

Since "Paradise" is my Local Ship as well, I've sailed her many, many times, and always had great cruises aboard. I haven't sailed her since the change in Cruise Directors, and that might, or might not make a difference, as Steve Cassel was always a bright spot while aboard. The new C.D., Calvyn is not one of my favorites, but I'm booked again in September to give him a chance. We'll see how it goes.

 

"SKY"

I'm booked 4/1/17 and would love to have you join me.

Kinda " as per John H " he has retired in Calif. When Larry was sick & after he passed I sent messages to Steve through John. Must say Steve didn't respond even though I know John gave him the messages. :(

 

Char

Sorry to hear of your loss. We met you and Larry onboard Paradise, I believe, one voyage last year.

Since "Paradise" is my Local Ship as well, I've sailed her many, many times, and always had great cruises aboard. I haven't sailed her since the change in Cruise Directors, and that might, or might not make a difference, as Steve Cassel was always a bright spot while aboard. The new C.D., Calvyn is not one of my favorites, but I'm booked again in September to give him a chance. We'll see how it goes.

 

"SKY"

We're also on Paradise in September; the 26th. When are you cruising Paradise?

I'm booked 4/1/17 and would love to have you join me.

We're also on Paradise in September; the 26th. When are you cruising Paradise?

I'd love to sail with you sometime RN. I'll check on the date, and let you know if I can make that one.

I'll be sailing "Paradise" again on Sept 3rd, but I promise to leave some beer aboard for you. ;) I'm anxious to see how it goes with Calvyn. I'll let y'all know.

Ken

"SKY"

was on the paradise about 8 months ago. Had a blast. Cruises are what you make of them. As long as you have proper expectations as far as the lack of 2.0 options and only 1 pool ... GO FOR IT. We found the service to be about as good as other ships, and the food on par with other ships. I'd sail her again.

Cheers!

Jeff aka Recovery Dude

 

Glad to hear. I'll be on Paradise in Oct. Tampa, Cozumel and Grand Cayman here we come. It is all what you make of it.:cool:

I cruised on the Paradise in Jan of last year. Ship was clean, but showed a lot of signs of wear. This didn't bother me though. Everything worked, and while some things weren't as "pretty" as they should have been, I didn't really mind. The staff was all very nice, friendly and customer service oriented. Dinner service was slow, but that's because the other couples at my table were always very late. Otherwise I'd say it was actually faster than my cruise on the Fantasy in Jan of this year. The comedians were good. Didn't attend the stage shows-- not my thing. Bar service was good and food quality was the same as other ships I've been on. The piano bar on that particular cruise was FANTASTIC! Wasn't a fan of the CD at the time. He didn't ruin the cruise, but he didn't make it brilliant either. Ports were fun and Tampa itself was great. I have another cruised booked on her in Jan of next year, so she's clearly not horrible. I don't need a mega ship with all the bells and whistles to make my vacation great, so I really didn't mind the old girl.

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Been on most of Carnival's ships including Paradise (2003) Things could have changed but I've found the experience is pretty much the same on all the ships. Of course the newer ones have more bells and whistles but the service, food, entertainment, excursions, etc all fall under one umbrella.

You're going to have a great time, don't sweat those negative reviews as they're the general complaints on all lines (as others have said) and reviewing them it seems folks were expecting the 21st century amenities of the newest ships on a boat that first sailed when Clinton (Bill, not Hillary) was president.

I find it humorous that folks consider her "small". Nearly 900' is not small. If that's small, the Oceania ships are what, atom sized? :D

Again, have a great cruise!!

Been on it once and enjoyed it, and I'll be on it again in 2 weeks. I think if you're willing to just roll with things and enjoy life on the boat most things are perfectly fine. If you're a more high maintenance person you might need a more high maintenance situation. :D

My wife and I are thinking of booking a five-day cruise out of Tampa on the Carnival Paradise in February, but we are shocked at the number of awful reviews. We realize it is an older ship, it only has one pool, has no 2.0 upgrades,; but the reviews say it is filthy, has poor service, lousy entertainment, and awful food.

 

Our expectations are reasonable; we are have sailed on Fantasy ships before, but we are, indeed, concerned. Can anyone tell me whether I should ignore the reviews, or avoid this cruise at all costs.

I haven't been on her myself, but have family that was in June. We are also looking at potentially booking a cruise on her in February so I got their opinions. They said the ship is older, but not in bad shape or dirty. They didn't miss the upgrades much and enjoyed the food. Don't know what itenerary you're considering, but the GC/Cozumel is very appealing to us and worth losing a few amenities. It's what you make it!

My first cruise was on the Paradise and I had an awesome time and will go again. I went on the Freedom for my second cruise and while I had some complaints I still had a good time. Cruises are what you make it. If you let one thing make you mad your entire cruise will be ruined. THe larger ships are ok but too many people be prepared to wait longer.

We sailed it a few years ago and it was fine. It doesnt have all the bells and whistles but was still a fantastic cruise. My ex- husband took his family and our kids on the Paradise a few months ago and he said it was one of the best cruises he has been on.

We had a great time on the Paradise. It is all about expectation. I realize there have been many advancements over the years and an older ship won't be like the latest and greatest. However, it still has its place and can provide an enjoyable voyage.

If you go thinking you will find 12 wave pools and a 40 story rock wall near the zip line platform you might just be disappointed.

Paradise entered service in 1998, thus she is only 28 years old, not "super old" as someone stated above. She is middle age as ships go. She is 70,000 tons, which still would classify her as "large" ship, just not a "mega" ship.

Her interiors are by Joe Farcus, an extremely talented and prolific cruise ship designer. Does anyone know that Joe created the whale tail funnel? :rolleyes:

She was also the first and only ship that Carnival experimented with 100% non-smoking on board- well they tried! :D

She's a perfectly large and attractive ship that probably has another 20 years to go. :)

If you do not need all the 2.0 bells and whistles and such, and can appreciate the genius of Joe Farcus, she is certainly a perfectly fine cruise ship, as are ALL of the Fantasy class ships.

"Super old", I got a real kick out of that comment!

Was on Paradise last summer. We enjoyed it a lot. Never went hungry and always something to do. Perfect ship for a quick 4 day getaway.