Paradise mini review w/Fun Times 4-4-22

[tampabrat22]

Hi everyone! We recently did a 5 day cruise to Grand Cayman & Cozumel to celebrate my daughters birthday and I've noticed a lot of questions about the Paradise so I thought I'd post the fun times and answer any questions I can. We live in the Tampa Bay area so this was a last minute booking for us and it was my 3rd time sailing on the Paradise so I'm pretty familiar with her. 

 

Embarkation went fairly smooth, we were onboard within 20 mins. The ship was definitely not at capacity which was nice, the only time it seemed crowded was by the pool area and buffet at meals times. Finding a spot at shows or a place to sit and relax was not an issue. The casino was empty most of the cruise, I've never seen the casino so quiet, ever. But that was a nice change after our Mardi Gras Ultra cruise. We had an ocean view cabin, midship on deck 4 and I was very happy with that, as it is our preferred location. The ship is in great condition given her age, the new paint on the hull looks really good, reminds me of the classic ocean liner look and I am here for it. I haven't sailed on any of the older (Joe Farcus designed) ships in a while and I have to say I don't miss that gaudy look. I love the newer, bright and airy look most of the Carnival ships are going toward.

 

We ate in the main dining room every night, some nights service was a bit slow but nothing horrible. The food was good, but we are not picky eaters and food is so subjective. I did miss the flat iron steak on the menu since I tend to eat that most nights, and the replacement was not that great. But there were plenty of other options and we always had plenty to eat. We ate at the buffet for breakfast, again there's plenty to choose from. We did the sea day brunch on both days and that was great as usual. We had the filet and eggs one morning, I've seen some bad reviews about it lately but I liked it.🤷‍♀️ I always see people asking if there are healthy food options and yes, there are plenty of options to choose from. I normally eat high protein, low carb and had no problem finding tasty options at every meal. I had eggs, sausage or bacon and cottage cheese almost every morning, guy's burgers with no buns and watermelon (from the salsa bar at the Blue Iguana) for lunch most days and of course plenty of salads and fish/protein choices at dinner.

 

The Cruise Director Lei Lei was great, very fun and she was everywhere. We went to a few of the theater shows, I think the dancers/singers are still trying to get in their groove because something seemed off. Most nights they didn't even dance, they just sat on stools singing which was odd. But I did enjoy 80s Pop to the Max and Epic Rock. There was plenty of trivia, we always enjoy those and we came home with 2- 24k gold ships on a stick!

 

We called on both of the ports we were scheduled for with no issues (G Cayman and Cozumel). In G Cayman we got off the shipped and walked around for a bit but returned sooner than expected when we realized most of the businesses near the port were still closed. But we have been there at least 8 times so we didn't mind. In Cozumel we did a fun ATV, Snorkel & Cenote excursion that I booked through Tortugas Cozumel (not a Carnival excursion). We have also been to Cozumel many times, so we felt comfortable not booking with Carnival. This excursion is amazing and we had a great time but keep in mind it is a very active excursion, I wasn't ready for all that and it kicked my butt.😆 

 

The few issues we had were that we had to replace our sail & sign cards 3 times each because they kept peeling, but there was rarely a line at guest services. Our room steward was super nice, but for some reason he couldn't remember to bring us wash cloths, towels or our towel animal most nights. We never found a room service menu or QR code to look it up. It was not on the TV, not in the app and when I asked the room steward he gave me food allergy information. So we just called and they had what we wanted, lol. And at the last sea day brunch I tried to use my VIFP free drink for a Bellini and they said I had already used it. I checked my sail & sign account in the app and I had not, the waiter said he would double check on it. I told him I would still like the drink either way. After over an hour he never came back, no biggie but I would have liked that drink.😜 🍹

 

The last day there was a platinum/diamond party with plenty of drinks (no appetizers). We brought a young couple that was seated with us at dinner and they enjoyed it. The head of most departments were there but the captain was not. I'm guessing he probably needs to avoid the public as much as possible so he stays healthy and that makes complete sense. Over all we had a great time, the small things I mentioned in no way affected our cruise. The one thing me and my daughter agreed that we missed the most was the Dive In Movies and just having the big screen on the lido, we love watching movies at night so that was really missed. But this was a nice getaway for me and my daughter to celebrate her birthday and we cant wait for our next one! 

 

The fun times are attached and I will try to come back to post some more info and pics tomorrow.🥰

Paradise Fun TImes.pdf

[rwilk1129]

Did you happen to notice if any blended Canadian whiskey  (Crown royal,Vo,Seagrams7 etc) was available?  We have not been able to get it on Carnival this year. It is sold in the shop but not in any bars. Boarding Paradise tomorrow on a last minute trip 

[tampabrat22]

42 minutes ago, rwilk1129 said:

Did you happen to notice if any blended Canadian whiskey  (Crown royal,Vo,Seagrams7 etc) was available?  We have not been able to get it on Carnival this year. It is sold in the shop but not in any bars. Boarding Paradise tomorrow on a last minute trip 

I am not sure about VO or Seagram's but there was no Crown available at any bars that I noticed. I have heard they are no longer carrying it onboard.

[MistyRo76]

Thanks for the review! The Paradise was my last cruise - pre-COVID - when she was sailing to Cuba! I hadn't been on a Fantasy class ship in many years, but enjoyed our time on the Paradise! I found the Port of Tampa to be easily the best and smoothest embarkation and disembarkation in my 18 cruises! I would definitely cruise from Tampa again! 

[tampabrat22]

These are the family channel movies that we’re playing in the cabins.

Edited April 24, 2022 by tampabrat22

[tampabrat22]

And the other movies.

[iriecruising]

On 4/21/2022 at 10:39 PM, tampabrat22 said:

I was wonder thinking of getting some kind of internet package for this trip. I have never done that before. Do you have any feedback on how good or bad the service is. I really just want the social package so I can message my kids. Thanks.

Paradise Fun TImes.pdf 1019.17 kB · 25 downloads

 

[tampabrat22]

25 minutes ago, iriecruising said:

 

We purchased the value plan on 3 separate days, we didn't intend to but I had stuff going on at home so I needed to be able to communicate with family. The service worked fine for social media and the internet. We had to go to the upper decks some times as the service was really slow and spotty down on deck 4. But overall it worked well for messaging and most websites.

[Cigar City Nole]

thanks for sharing @tampabrat22 … appreciate getting a sneak peak at the itinerary — looks like plenty of trivia! 

[Duanerice1]

Thanks for taking the time to post.   We are going in September and was a bit worried about the age and size of the ship.   The price and timing were too good to pass up though!

 

[csm5986142]

On 4/21/2022 at 7:39 PM, tampabrat22 said:

We did the sea day brunch on both days and that was great as usual. We had the filet and eggs one morning, I've seen some bad reviews about it lately but I liked it.

 

Thank you for your review - I think you have talked me into trying to find a time to try this one (so jealous of those of you who live in FL - so much harder from the west coast)!

Anyway, wanted to say I agree with you on the Steak & Eggs - we have had it on 2 ships (Miracle & Radiance) recently and it was very good (super tender and flavorful, probably my favorite meal).  But I have heard that with supply chain issues, some of the ships are using an inferior cut of meat (but hopefully not so much anymore).