Paradise - Jan 26th....4 day to Cozumel

[FlaGrl4Evr]

We walked out of the port area and across the street where we were bombarded with vendors trying to rent us jeeps, cars and mopeds plus take our picture with parrots, iguanas and you name it.... Jay is fluent in Spanish so after some friendly banter all was good. We got some good recommendations to buy a few things on our list. Jay hailed a taxi and we went to El Centro. We ended up with a really nice taxi driver. He was an older gentleman and very knowledgeable about the area. He and Jay talked and I caught about every other word but enough to get the gest of what they were saying. The driver gave us some good history and tips about the area. We asked to be dropped of at Hooters- Cozumel of all places. I wanted a clean place to use the ladies room and grab a cold drink and it looked clean and drinks looked cold. The Hooters was in a pretty little courtyard with a Senior Frogs and a few shops that we would hit up later. The taxi driver only charged us $8 for this entire ride but we gave him $25 for the extended tour of the area. We felt that we got a mini tour so he deserved it.

 

 

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[FlaGrl4Evr]

We ended up sitting at the bar where Jay ordered a Coke and ordered a cold beer. We sat there and talked to the bartender. I wish that I could remember her name as she was so nice. We talked about Cozumel, the people, customs and food.

 

We ended up on the subject of salsa and how theirs differs so much from our American version. She said they have two selections to offer in salsa: regular and hot....No in-between.

Jay asked her to bring us an order of chips with pico and sn order of the regular salsa.

 

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[FlaGrl4Evr]

 

As you can see, the salsa is of a very different color and consistency than our traditional American salsa. It really looked like something one might scrape out of a babies diaper. It was good though but hardly any heat. I asked her for the hot and she replied with an.....Are you sure?... I'm thinking....Hummmm, here's this girl asking me if I'm sure that I want to try the house specialty hot salsa.

I regularly order my wings hot and sometimes nuclear do I said, " yuppers, bring it on"

 

Holy Mother of God.....One dip of the chip and my tounge was paralyzed.

The base was pure ground habaneros.

Whoo doggy, that was some hot s!*+ !

 

I quickly ordered another beer sucking that baby down real quick.

 

We cashed out and were on our way to do some shopping.

 

BTW....The menu was in pesos but they do accept American money.....Just a tip though....Bring smaller bills as they cannot always make changes.

 

Our entire bill for one Coke, 2 beers, one order of chips, one pico and one regular salsa was only $9 USD. That's it !!

She didn't charge me for the hot salsa even though I told her to leave it on the bill as it was my own fault. We paid and tipped and went on our way.

.

 

 

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[FlaGrl4Evr]

We did some shopping and grabbed another taxi back to the port. I still wanted to try and find a bottle or two of the Sheridan's liquor that the ship was sold out of. I was told they had it in the duty free shop near the ship and didn't want to chance another sell-out.

 

We got back to the port area and a really good Mariachi band was playing. They were really good and decked out in traditional costume. No one was taking the time to stop and listen to them....They were so good.

 

We stopped and listened for awhile and donated to their hat which allowed us a nice picture with them.

.

 

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[FlaGrl4Evr]

 

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[FlaGrl4Evr]

 

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[FlaGrl4Evr]

We made our way through the duty free shop and found the Sheridan's liquor that I wanted. They sold 2 for $43 or 1 for $27.

 

They securely wrapped it and we we back to the ship. Carnival had a table set up to turn over any alcohol purchased in port. I did so and the gave me a receipt and told me I could pick it up between 6 to 9 am in the Rex Nightclub on debark day.

 

It was only 3:30 so our original plan was to drop off our purchases in the cabin and head back to the port area until around 5pm. Jay wanted to go up to the Lido and get a bowl of fruit. I wasn't really hungry but a chocolate soft-serve cone seemed to be a good idea after walking in the heat all afternoon.

We grabbed a table by the window and relaxed.....Before we knew it, an hour had ticked by and the line to get back onto the ship was long.....It just didn't seem productive to attempt to leave the ship now. We actually continued to sit there for another hour until it was almost time to leave port.

 

We took another walk around the ship and realized that we were pulling away from Cozumel.

 

 

 

 

 

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[FlaGrl4Evr]

We grabbed two loungers on one of the upper decks and relaxed for about 30 minutes or so...

I started to drift off to sleep as did Jay, so we made our way to the cabin to shower for dinner.

I knew if we attempted to rest on the bed that we'd never get back up do we didn't even think about trying to take a little cat-nap.

 

I poured my heavy-handed glass of pre dinner wine and we were off to the dining room.

 

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[Hoot51]

Following. Sailing on Paradise in eight days. Can't wait!

[Thrilled2012]

I like "bells and whistles" ships for my kids. But I am tellin ya....this review is making me want to ditch them and go on an adults cruise on a fantasy class ship! Looking forward to the conclusion of this great review.

 

PS: small, insignificant detail....but I have never had non-powedered eggs on a cruise. LOL, maybe I should try this ship just for that! :eek:

[FlaGrl4Evr]

Following. Sailing on Paradise in eight days. Can't wait!

You're going to have a great time !

 

I hope Brandon is still the CD. He was a riot !

 

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[FlaGrl4Evr]

I like "bells and whistles" ships for my kids. But I am tellin ya....this review is making me want to ditch them and go on an adults cruise on a fantasy class ship! Looking forward to the conclusion of this great review.

 

PS: small, insignificant detail....but I have never had non-powedered eggs on a cruise. LOL, maybe I should try this ship just for that! :eek:

I didn't miss the bells and whistles one bit. I'm not a fan of the Lido big screen so that was a definite plus. This cruise was so relaxing, everyone was so polite and there were little to no lines for anything. Even though the ship was full, it didn't seem that way.

 

 

There was a very different vibe to this cruise.... I can't say for sure if it was this particular sailing or if it's the ship itself, but I noticed so many significant differences from the rest of my cruises.

 

* No to low crowds everywhere. Hardly a single line..Even at prime times. If there was a line, it was only a few deep.

 

* Very polite crew...Happy and honestly enjoying their jobs. This seemed to overflow to the passengers whom all were kind, respectful and polite.

 

*. No chair hogging.....None....Zip !

There were always loungers by the pool.

The first sea day I found an entire empty row...I used a chair for about an hour then moved to a table.....all afternoon it remained the same.

 

*. There were children on the cruise but they were either at Camp or with their parents. No children taking over the hot tubs or running the halls late night.

 

*. No incidents, that I personally witnessed, of any drunk or obnoxious behavior. People were imbibing but nothing got out of hand.

 

*. There was a very mixed age demographic...Lots of 20 and 30 somethings....Some with families, some not, the middle agers , and some above the 60 yr old mark..... It was all very mixed so I couldn't honestly say one age group out numbered the other.

 

Do try and give the ship a chance.

We sailed during an off time of year so the more popular times may not yield the same vibe but to date...This had been my favorite cruise.

 

Go For It.... You'll have a great time !

 

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[homeofthedogs]

Thank you so very much for taking the time to post this great review. We sail her for the 4 day in March and enjoying your perspective and information. Plus, love seeing the Funtimes. Following!

[Florings]

Wonderful review, thanks for sharing. I've been on Paradise twice and do love it!

[FlaGrl4Evr]

Thank you so very much for taking the time to post this great review. We sail her for the 4 day in March and enjoying your perspective and information. Plus, love seeing the Funtimes. Following!

I'm glad that you're enjoying it. Since we didn't do anything overly exciting, I was afraid that it would bore people.

 

You have less then a month until you sail.... I wish you great weather and smooth seas.

.

 

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[FlaGrl4Evr]

Wonderful review, thanks for sharing. I've been on Paradise twice and do love it!

Thank you.

I'm actually searching out dates so that I can sail the Paradise again....Hoping for a 5 day this time.

 

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[FlaGrl4Evr]

The MDR this evening was a tad on the empty side. I attribute it to the port day in Cozumel. We didn't leave port til 6pm so perhaps cruisers were resting after a long day.

 

We always ask for a table for two and up til tonight had always received one of the booth backed tables that had some semblance of a private table....That was not to be the case tonight.

 

We were led to an 8 top next to the window. It was actually a 4 top nearest the window then a spacing of about 3" and a 2 top.... another 3" space and another 2 top. Sitting this close to others normally wouldn't be an issue, as were pretty much social people BUT they don't seat the entire table at one time resulting in the different tables being at a different point in their meal. For example, when we were initially seated in the middle 2 top there the 4 top was empty and a gentleman sitting solo was at the other 2 top. He was just ordering his dessert as we were handed our menus. We said hello and made some polite chit-chat but it was kind of awkward. When we were finishing up our appetizers, the other guests were seated at the 4 top. The tables were so close that they very well could have been one long table. I think the space between just gave the guests an illusion of having your own table...But the reality of it is that you can hear their entire conversation and them yours.

It's just unavoidable.

 

Another biggie for us women is that the 2 top tables are so small that if you have a clutch bag or wristlette, there is nowhere to place it. The table is full to the brim with the bread basket, water glass, wine glass, bread plate, dinner plate etc..... If you have a 2 top with the booth back you have enough space to set it down alongside next to you.

** I just thought that it would give my 2 cents worth on this.

 

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[FlaGrl4Evr]

For our meal tonight: I had the vegetarian spring rolls for my appitizer and Jay had the chicken noodle soup. I ordered the jerk pork loin which came with a spicy sweet potato puree and steamed veggies. Jay ordered the fried chicken from the Everyday-Menu. This came with mashed potatoes and steamed veggies.

** For anyone wondering, the pieces of chicken served consists of the leg and a breast. They have no thighs or wings..... I wanted to mention this as there is no actual choice to getting any favorite pieces. **

 

Jay passed on dessert and had his tea while I ordered the Apple Pie. I love how Carnival does their apple pie....It is heavily spiced and the crust is flaky and delicious.

 

It's funny how when the tables are so close that the diners next to you try and sneak a peek of what your eating. I could tell that the lady next to me was doing this do I finally said to her, " Wow, this jerk pork loin is amazing.". It made her feel more at ease and she asked me more about my meal. She told use that they were newbies and were trying to learn the ropes.

 

Meeting new people is one good thing about sitting at a large table but everyone being on a different food course makes it a tad awkward.

 

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[FlaGrl4Evr]

After dinner, we returned to the cabin and tried to decide what we wanted to do for the remainder of the evening. We decided against the show tonight

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[FlaGrl4Evr]

It was the Love & Marriage Show.

We just weren't into it but did decide that we wanted to try and give the Rex Nightclub a whirl.

Whoo......We had a blast!! First off, I wanted to try some type of new drink. I felt like a shot or a shooter of some type. I asked the bartender for a suggestion and I ended up with a shooter that consisted of Patron Silver, fresh lime juice and Chipotle. I cannot remember the name but it was good....not great....but good. I think it was the amount of lime juice used....It killed all of the other flavors. It was fun but I didn't order another one. I really wanted a Bombay and Tonic but didn't want to mix so I just ended up ordering a beer after that.

 

The Nightclub was a nice surprise. The DJ played a nice mix of music from the 70's disco era on up to present day. The age group was definitely mixed with Jay and I probably being on the older side of the group but we were kicking it right along with the 20 somethings.

 

A few hours and several drinks later, we called it a night.

 

If I cruise the Paradise again..... I'm coming back here..... I had a great time !!

 

*** Just as a side note...Some of the younger gals had their clubbing outfits on so pack them if you have them ladies. I just had on black pants and a sparkle top with heels. I fit right in. Anything goes really... I didn't however see anyone in shorts...Not saying it was a rule breaker....Just that I didn't see any.

 

 

 

 

 

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[jessination]

Thank you for this review! My husband and I were on the Paradise 15 years ago today on our honeymoon, so it is perfect timing to be reading your review! We were actually the most recently married couple on that cruise and participated (and won!) the Love and Marriage Show.

[FlaGrl4Evr]

Thank you for this review! My husband and I were on the Paradise 15 years ago today on our honeymoon, so it is perfect timing to be reading your review! We were actually the most recently married couple on that cruise and participated (and won!) the Love and Marriage Show.

What a great memory....And a big congrats .... Happy Anniversary !

 

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[FlaGrl4Evr]

Here is the Fun Times for our Cozumel Port Day.

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[FlaGrl4Evr]

We woke up on our last sea day to drizzle. Not only drizzle but wind and some pretty nippy temperatures. Our cabin was freezing so I quickly adjusted the temp.

** For anyone wondering, the control is directly above the bed on the ceiling . To make it warmer, just turn the dial towards the green arrow. This closes off some of the vents. Do the opposite for a cooler cabin.

 

We lingered in our cabin over our coffee and OJ and decided to head down for lunch instead of breakfast.

 

We found a seat towards the very back of the buffet....by the windows near the Pizza place.

 

Jay wanted something different so he asked the Deli guy if he would make him a turkey, lettuce and tomato on Ciabatta bread then toast it.....No problem. These guys were all great....I've been on some ships where the Deli would make no special accommodations. I couldn't decide between a Ham & Swiss on Rye or a hot dog from the grill. I try to get at least one hot dog per cruise and my time was running out. The Deli guy suggested just a half of a sandwich that way I could get a hot dog too.......Score !

 

The hot dogs on the grill are good. They even toast the buns. There is a little fixings area that had the usual mustard and catsup plus sauerkraut, chili, grilled onions, chopped onions and cheese sauce. I actually like my hot dog plain or with a touch of catsup so I was good to go.

***. I did see a lot of cruisers using this condiment area to top their tortilla chips and also their fries not to mention the burgers.

 

** I'm not a fan of the greasy Guy's Burgers and am really going to miss the grill area when it's gone and the 2.0 is implemented on this ship.

 

Just to the other side of the grill area was a Wok Stir Fry area. I'm sorry but I can't remember the exact name. It must have been popular as there were always guests going through the line.

I get my share of Asian food at home so I didn't try it this trip.

 

I returned to the table and Jay and I decided what we wanted to do with our day.

 

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[FlaGrl4Evr]

****. Just wanted to add that the Deli, on this ship, does not give out potato chips. The only way to get potato chips is by ordering them through room service. Also, if you want a pickle spear, you need to ask the Deli guy for one or two. They don't automatically put them on the plates anymore, due to wastefulness.

 

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