Paradise 2/21 mini-review

[dad son team]

It was not the best cruise I ever went on, but overall, I enjoyed the cruise. I did things a little different on this trip so I am not sure that the comparisons are fair. This was my first Carnival cruise, first time in the Pacific, first inside cabin, and first time traveling alone.

 

The ship: The ship was fine. Sure there was a little wear and tear, but you need to expect that on ships that have been around for a few years. It was kept in good condition and the cabin was better than I expected. My biggest complaint about the ship would probably be that it is a little to Las Vegasy for my taste. Flashing lights in the dining room don't cut it for me. Next complaint would be the seating in the theater. It stinks! The seats downstairs are not very comfortable, and the seat upstairs have horrible sight lines. Beams and supports everywhere. It seemed like alot of people spent most of the time looking for a decent seat.

 

Food: Just ok. There was nothing that jumped out as great. Maybe the Chateaubriand the last night, but that was it. I had filet mignon on one night and it was tough. It all just seemed very bland and tastless. The lido buffet was disappointing. Not much to choose from for breakfast or lunch. The poolside grill was nice. Burgers were good and they had all the fixings for them. I don't see why people like the pizza so much. Taste like frozen pizza to me.

 

Entertainment/activities: Shows were good. The usual revue and comedy shows. Shipboard activities could be livened up a little. I thought that overall the ship was kinda boring. I have been on other cruises were there was not enough time in the day to do everything. This one had some boring "now what do I do" moments.

 

Ports: Can't say much about them since I never got off in Catalina because of bad weather. This after waiting in line for 2 hours to get on a tender. Ensenada was ok I guess. I just got off the ship and walked around a bit. Others that went on the blowhole tour said they really enjoyed it.

 

Service: No problems here. The waitstaff was excellent! Our waitress Elizabeth remembered everybodys name after the first night. Not bad considering that she had all those people and some at my table for 8 had unique names. I never met my cabin steward or for that matter even know what his name was. My cabin was always well kept and he was very efficient, but it still would have been nice to at least know his name.

 

I guess this is not such a mini-review afterall. If you have any questions, let me know.

[Chele60]

Welcome back! Thank you for the review, and I feel much better about mine as it appears your experience was very similar to mine. At least I know I'm not completely crazy!

 

It's too bad you weren't able to get off at Catalina. I really enjoy the island even though it is small. Last week we had some terrible weather, but I guess I always think that if you go far enough out to sea the weather gets better. Crazy, I know.

 

I think La Bufadora is certainly worth it to go there. But again, if the weather isn't really cooperating or the tide is low, it wouldn't be all that interesting.

 

I hope you at least felt good about getting away for a few days?

[dad son team]

Some people were able to get off at Catalina, I just didn't get out of bed early enouh I guess. When those people got back, they said the tender ride was scary because of the waves. That didn't bother me so much because I had been to Cataline before so I knew what was there. I pretty much cruise to be on the ship; the ports are secondary for me.

 

One thing I forgot to mention that was a disappointment was formal night. Why I bothered to bring a suit is beyond me. MANY if not most people did not even bother to dress for dinner. On past cruises, especially my last 2 on RCI, it was the exact opposite. It seemed almost everyone dressed for dinner and many took it to the top.

 

I would do Carnival again for a 7 day caribbean cruise just to be fair in my comparison with my past cruises. If I had to rate this among my 6 cruises, I would put it as #5.

[OC Mom]

I will soon be booking my second 4 day Baja cruise with Carnival. I guess I just expect less with these (versus my Caribbean cruise). It is so cheap for us, being locals (don't need airfare) that it's more about a little getaway than an amazing vacation experience. Ensenada is not a favorite of ours ;). It replaces a Las Vegas quickie getaway for us and we feel like we get so much more out of a cruise. Maybe that's why we don't mind the Vegas style of the Carnival ships:).