Disappointed

[prncsscruiser]

I just want to review my last trip a few months ago on the Carnival Paradise. I am not sure if it is because this was an older ship, or because it was only a 3 day cruise, or if it was simply Carnival, but I felt that it was trashy! In my opinion the food was not even close to any other cruise I have been on. Breakfast I thought fell short, the offerings were typical and very few. I was constantly bombarded by the drink people to purchase a drink, and honestly 5 minutes ago I told you NO and my answer is still the same. The fact that I felt that they were constantly hovering around me ready to pounce was annoying. The room smelled old and musty, the tile in the shower was extremely dirty, the grout was just beyond discolored. There was rust on the mirror. The only good thing I can say I really enjoyed was our waiter was awesome! At this point I will not ever sail carnival again I was extremely disappointed. I knew that Carnival was cheaper than princess so I was expecting a little less from them, but not THAT much less. So it could be the ship, could be the duration, but I was not impressed.

[gargoyle999]

It is my understanding that a shorter cruise on an older ship is not the best example to represent a cruise line overall.

[beetle9]

You might want to be ready the cheerleaders will be after you in a few minutes, Just ask them how much ccl pays them to defend ccl no matter what.:):)

[hkbragg]

I actually agree with you for the most part - I think a short cruise on an old ship would be pretty bad - that's probably why they are so cheap. I do think Carnival's newer ships and longer cruises are much better - if you try them again, make sure you go for a newer ship with a longer itinerary.

[prncsscruiser]

I do know that the short duration and older ship will not be as nice as a new ship and a week long trip, but don't you think that carnival cruise line should at least try to make these nicer. I kind of viewed it as a sample cruise, see how I like carnival before I commit 7 or more days of my life on the ship. I am not saying that Carnival is a horrible cruise line, I know many people prefer it to any other line. But let me tell you on this particular ship holy cow I felt out of place, even the passengers seemed to be "less" than what I was expecting.

[halos]

I'm sorry you had a bad experience...that sucks. I do think a longer cruise on a newer ship would give you a totally different experience BUT it still will not be the same as Princess. CCL and Princess are two totally different lines just as all lines are different. I know a lot of people say they are 'basically the same' or more alike than different' but I really don't believe that. There is a different feel on each line and not all feel comfortable to everyone.

 

Short cruises are TOTALLY different than longer ones, however. If you do decide to give CCL another chance I highly suggest a Spirit class ship. The Legend is amazing, as is the Miracle.

The longer the cruise, the more subdued it is (in most cases :))

The shorter, the more......let's just say, insane.

Whatever you decide, I hope your next cruise is better :)

[psbtrvlr]

The short cruises that I've been on don't even compare. Why, I don't know....... Hasn't mattered what line it was on. My husband and I have decided that we will not do another short cruise.

BTW - I was on the Paradise for the cruise right after yours - I agree, it was bad. Did I have a good time? Yes, but, never again on a short cruise.

[gargoyle999]

I'll second the suggestion to try a Spirit class ship! And while I liked the decor of the Spirit more than the Miracle I will say I liked the decor of the Sapphire Princess more than either of those two.

 

So I can understand why someone who is familiar with and really likes Princess to not be so impressed with older Carnival ship.

[prncsscruiser]

I mean what it comes down to is a choice; a crappy cruise or a weekend at home, I will pick the cruise pretty much no matter what. What made it a little bit worse was I sold my 2nd row rascal flatts tickets because it just happened to be the same weekend. That fact doesn't make my review different, actually I wasn't even thinking about it all weekend. But now looking back it is a bit of a bummer :-) I believe I am going to try celebrity this year, we will see how that plays out.

[FightOnRon]

I'll be on the Paradise in a month,,,not much I can do about it now. I expect a higher bit of energy, but if at least the food and shows are decent I'll be okay.

[Nunu]

I think the whole rascal flatts thing is weighing heavily on you. :o

[prncsscruiser]

I feel like It may have been in a dry dock since I have been on it. You should look into that. IF you have been on Carnival before the food I am guessing is similar. My favorite dish that I actually wanted to eat all of was the short ribs, not sure if it will be offered on your sailing. I didn't see any shows, which was uncommon for me, so I can't comment there. We did go and see the newlywed not so newlywed show, and it was just ok. I felt like they didn't capture the audience, I think the venue was too big, because they were in the big theater, it would have been better in a smaller theater. Have fun on your cruise! A cruise is a Cruise and will be fun no matter what, just some are MUCH better than others.

[prncsscruiser]

NUNU although the rascal flatts thing is a bit of a bummer for me, the thing is they will be back and I will go to their concert. Just because I had to sell my tickets doesn't change the things on the ship that bugged me. I was very excited to go on this trip and was looking forward to it. Only Carnival can change the things that were bad. I traveled with a couple other people who all agreed with me. I also believe that a previous poster here who was on the ship a week after me agreed with me.

[Essiesmom]

You can see from my sig, that I sail a variety of cruise lines. I sail Carnival because it is good value for the money, and I have three ports I can drive to. But in the past ten years, I have found the food to be pretty much equal across the board. But I have to agree that a three day cruise in no way represents the Carnival product. I have been amazed to board a Carnival ship in Jacksonville for a five day cruise, to find several groups of seniors bused in for the cruise. The average age on the Carnival Dream TransAtlantic was about ten years above the usual cruise. I was disappointed with my first Carnival cruise, haveing been on Royal Princess several months before. But my next Carnival cruise, eight years later, was like a totally different cruise line. I took my only three day cruise in June on Sensation. Totally unrelated to my other Carnival experiences. Many family groups, frenetically driven to pack as much 'fun' into three days as humanly possible. No that there was drinking and partying...just a single minded drive to have FUN. By the time you find your way around, it is time to get off again. I say give Carnival another try, when it fits your need...on a cruise of at least five days. EM

[Nunu]

NUNU although the rascal flatts thing is a bit of a bummer for me, the thing is they will be back and I will go to their concert. Just because I had to sell my tickets doesn't change the things on the ship that bugged me. I was very excited to go on this trip and was looking forward to it. Only Carnival can change the things that were bad. I traveled with a couple other people who all agreed with me. I also believe that a previous poster here who was on the ship a week after me agreed with me.

 

I know I was j/k. I don't understand those who say a 3 day cruise isn't representative of Carnivals product. A 3 day cruise is their product and shouldn't be used so flippantly. IMHO, YMMV, blah blah

[anytimeuwnt]

I just want to review my last trip a few months ago on the Carnival Paradise. I am not sure if it is because this was an older ship, or because it was only a 3 day cruise, or if it was simply Carnival, but I felt that it was trashy! In my opinion the food was not even close to any other cruise I have been on. Breakfast I thought fell short, the offerings were typical and very few. I was constantly bombarded by the drink people to purchase a drink, and honestly 5 minutes ago I told you NO and my answer is still the same. The fact that I felt that they were constantly hovering around me ready to pounce was annoying. The room smelled old and musty, the tile in the shower was extremely dirty, the grout was just beyond discolored. There was rust on the mirror. The only good thing I can say I really enjoyed was our waiter was awesome! At this point I will not ever sail carnival again I was extremely disappointed. I knew that Carnival was cheaper than princess so I was expecting a little less from them, but not THAT much less. So it could be the ship, could be the duration, but I was not impressed.

 

I just got off an 8 day cruise on a fairly new CCL ship.

 

I agree with some of what you say. And completely agree that the menu's need work.

 

I had very bleachy water. Turned my blue wash cloth into a pink-streaked mess. lol

 

My Princess cruise was the best experience I have had on a ship. And I have tried a few now.

 

I wont be on a CCL ship again unless it is free.

 

I loved the ports of Panama, Costa Rica, & Belize though!!! :-)

[prncsscruiser]

i agree nunu. It really doesnt make much sense that it is not a good representation of them since it is their product. I think they just pay more attention to the longer cruises because longer cruises mean more money. Although I am not even sure if that is true. Maybe they just think that if the passengers are going to be on there for a whole week better keep them happy or else they will revolt. LOL. Actually on my last princess cruise, the sailing right before mine had a crazy revolt, the crew told me that one of the passengers actually had the captain pinned against the wall! It was crazy, our sailing was PERFECT and the best cruise I have been on.

[cathyz]

I'll be on the Paradise in a month,,,not much I can do about it now. I expect a higher bit of energy, but if at least the food and shows are decent I'll be okay.

Don't worry, we've been on the Paradise twice (and other Fantasy class ships) and will be again next month too. The Paradise is actually one of the newer Fantasy class ships and we always have a good time. It's all about expectations and attitude. You'll have a great time!

[CruzVinnieCruz]

The only opinion that I can give you is that you need to give Carnival another shot. I spend quite a few nights in Marriott Hotels for business and believe me there are a couple I avoid at all costs. Being very pleased with the chain overall but these few seem to be poorly managed. It is the same with ships some are just managed better than others. Don't let one short cruise on one ship persuade you into not trying them again.

 

We have sailed on the Sensation and Fascination sister ships to the Paradise and had a blast each time.

[lillian marie]

I've had less than stellar Princess cruises too. Carnival is a bargain cruise line and is not as elegant as some other lines but you get a lot of food and fun for the price. I hope you try CCL again on another cruise. I would hope that you'd have a more positive experience.

[yogi2929]

You cannot compare Carnival's smaller older ships to Princess-- That's like comparing the Beverly Hills Hotel to the Tropicana in Laughlin. One is genteel elegance and the other has a train running around it.

 

Both do their job well. The jobs are different.

 

Our last cruise (Jan 15-18, 2010) on the Paradise (8th time) had it's issues, but overall it was fine. We had new drapes and shower curtains. Some in our group had cabin issues, that were taken care of within a few hours. No smells in any of our 7 cabins.

 

The food has always been a big variable, one cruise an item is great the next cruise the same item is barely edible. Why? I haven't figured it out yet. The Choc Melting cake was always different on this cruise. The Lido CMC was always done just right, not so in the dining room. The Indian Dinner the last night was just too hot this time. This time the short ribs were perfect, last time they were beyond fatty.

 

We lucked out- We had a flat screen TV in our lowly Riviera deck cabin.

 

We went on her last February. First week, 4 day cruise. The passengers were mixed- some Party Hardy ones and the rest looked too old for HAL. As you've said in not so many words- each cruise takes on a life of it's own whether pax are revolting or perfect.

[Cruising Aussie Mum]

Hi Princess Cruiser, sorry to hear you were disappointed.

We just got off a Carnival Splendor Mexican Riviera cruise (7 days, ship is only a year old), and were also disappointed.

 

While they did some things well (great production shows, really good buffet, well-run tweens club Circle C ) there were other things that really needed work (poorly organized Camp Carnival for the younger kids, very difficult ship to navigate, disastrous disembarkation, shower flooded the bathroom whenever anyone showered).

 

I agree, we won't sail Carnival again - it's not that it was a BAD cruise, it's just that it wasn't a GREAT cruise (and we have experienced great cruises on other lines).

 

I hope you enjoy your next cruise more!:)

[luvmysox1]

Hi Princess Cruiser, sorry to hear you were disappointed.

We just got off a Carnival Splendor Mexican Riviera cruise (7 days, ship is only a year old), and were also disappointed.

 

While they did some things well (great production shows, really good buffet, well-run tweens club Circle C ) there were other things that really needed work (poorly organized Camp Carnival for the younger kids, very difficult ship to navigate, disastrous disembarkation, shower flooded the bathroom whenever anyone showered).

 

I agree, we won't sail Carnival again - it's not that it was a BAD cruise, it's just that it wasn't a GREAT cruise (and we have experienced great cruises on other lines).

 

I hope you enjoy your next cruise more!:)

 

I would have thought Splendor would be awesome. Great itenary. Maybe 2011 for me. Airfare is always high from Chi to Cali

[glrounds]

It is my understanding that a shorter cruise on an older ship is not the best example to represent a cruise line overall.

 

Exactly what I was thinking . . . the PARADISE is a Fantasy-class ship (oldest class) that caters to the "drink-'til-yah-puke" crowd in LA on their 3-dayer weekend runs. Not typical of Carnival ships, itineraries or cruise length.

[pe4all]

Price point is a definite selling point with Carnival v other lines. Sometimes you get what you pay for- especially on 3 day cruises, where Carnival drops the price for local residents to make sure the ship sails full. If you find a good price/itinerary, try the Freedom or Liberty - both great ships and great crew. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. If, after trying those ships (or even the Dream) then you are right - Carnival isn't your cup of tea!