Carnival Paradise 3/4/13-3/9/13 Review! First time cruisers!

[cranapple17]

I have been reading these forums for a few years, always interested in taking a cruise. Well, finally I took one! The advice I read has been great, and I especially love reading the picture reviews, so I would love to write a review of our very first cruise on the Carnival Paradise, March 4-9, 2013. This was a 5 day cruise, leaving Tampa, and stopping at Grand Cayman and Cozumel.

 

 

Overall, we had a great vacation. We'll definitely try cruising again!

 

 

 

The cruisers: Me (Ashley) and my fiancé, Michal. We are both in our 20s. This was the first cruise for both of us.

 

 

Embarkation Day!

 

 

We live in the Tampa Bay area, so we asked my dad to drop us off at the Tampa port on Monday to save on the parking fees. We had one large suitcase that we gave to the porters, and tipped a few dollars. We each had a carry on, one of which had our drinks: bottled water, cans of Coke, and two bottles of wine. We got to the port around 10:30 or 11, and zipped through security and check in. Security did flag our suitcase with the drinks. A security officer opened the case, shook a couple water bottles, and let us through. They did not count how many bottles of water or Coke we had, nor did they open any of the drinks, as I heard they do at some ports.

 

 

We had zone 6, and were on the ship within maybe 20 minutes after sitting in the wait area. We headed straight to the Lido deck for some lunch. I went to the grill, and Michal went to the Mongolian Wok. (I won’t talk about food too much in this review. Both Michal and I found the food plentiful, though mediocre, some things being better than others. We both enjoyed the Mongolian Wok very much.) Around 12:30, we went to see if our cabin was ready, and it was.

 

 

We booked an inside guarantee a few weeks before we set sail. Our cabin was assigned the Friday night before we left, R111 on the Riviera deck. At first, I was apprehensive that we were assigned such a low deck. I looked around this site though, and was reassured that that being on this deck and in the middle of the ship meant that we wouldn’t feel so much movement, which proved to be true. The room was small, but clean and functional. Our beds weren’t put together yet, as we requested online (and at one point when we stopped by our room later, a third bed appeared, though there were only two of us in the room), the beds were put together to a king later in the night after we called Guest Services (we couldn’t find our steward that first day, or get a hold of him. This cruise was packed with spring breakers, so he had a very busy first day). Our room steward was great throughout the cruise. It seemed like every time we left the room, we came back to it being cleaned, with fresh towels and our ice bucket filled.

 

 

Overall, we thought the Paradise was in good shape. Though some of her décor is a bit outdated, the ship was clean and in good condition. We liked that this ship was not too big, so it was easy to become familiar with the layout.

 

 

After checking out our room, we explored the ship. We also tried the drink of the day. I don’t remember what it was called, but it was good. We had a snack at the grill later in the day, hung out around the ship, and then had dinner. When we booked the cruise, we requested Anytime Dining, but we were waitlisted. We ended up with Late Dining in the Destiny Dining Room. We had a table for four. The other couple assigned to our table didn’t show up the first night, though we met them the next night. I was hoping we’d either end up at a large table with fun dinner companions, or at a table for two. Dinner was ok. Like I stated before, we weren’t wowed by the food. I think we both started with Caesar salad. Michal had the flat iron steak, which he said was good. I had the chicken a la grecque. For dessert, I had the tropical fruit, and Michal had the warm chocolate melting cake. I think I would have enjoyed dinner more if I wasn’t so full from the snacks we had earlier, which was my mistake. (I paid for it later with a stomach ache.)

 

 

We went to the Welcome Aboard show later that night, which had a preview of the comedians, dancers, singers, and break dancers. We went to several shows later in the week, which I’ll comment on later.

 

 

Next, a few pictures of the first day!

[cranapple17]

Going under the Sunshine Skyway bridge

 

The atrium

 

It was cold that day, at least to us Floridians.

 

Michal, and the sunset

 

Our towel animal the first night

[cranapple17]

Tuesday, first sea day!

 

This ship was packed. There were a lot of college kids on spring break during this cruise. This was definitely evident on the first sea day (and the night before...lots of music blaring from people's rooms, loud talking in the middle of the night, drunken antics, etc.). I graduated from college not too long ago, but I even found myself being annoyed. It didn't ruin my cruise, though next time I will definitely not cruise during any kind of college vacation time.

 

Since the cruise was packed, it was very difficult finding lounge chairs, even in the extremely undesirable lounging areas. Even getting in the pool or whirlpools looked difficult (we didn't try. It was still a bit cold for us).

 

I don't remember a lot of what we did during the day, though we spent a lot of time just trying to find a place to sit where we could enjoy the sunshine. I think we just gave up after a while.

 

Once we discovered the quiet outdoor dining areas on the back of the ship behind the Paris Restaurant, we enjoyed eating many of our meals there, overlooking the water.

 

That night was Elegant Night. We dressed up and went to the Dining Room. Once again, the food was ok. We met the other couple that shared our table this night.

 

We also went to the Eight More Seconds show, which was a singing and dancing show to country music. We enjoyed it, though we liked the other show later in the cruise better (I'm blanking on the name...).

 

We didn't take many pictures this day, so on to Grand Cayman!

[cranapple17]

Grand Cayman!

 

We didn't want to book a Carnival excursion for this port. We looked at all of them, and none sparked our interest, or seemed worth the money. We had the Tulum excursion booked for Cozumel, so we knew the next day would be a busy day. We just wanted to relax in Grand Cayman.

 

I did some research on these boards, and we heard a lot of good information on the Royal Palms resort. We loved it! We definitely recommend this resort for anyone who wants to relax on the beach, away from the huge crowds.

 

We ate breakfast on the Lido in the morning, and then headed down to deck 3 to get on a tender, I think around 8:30/9 ish. We got right on a tender with no wait. When we got to the port, we headed to street to find a taxi. There were a bunch right outside the port building. A man was there organizing taxis for people wanting to head to the beach. We were ushered to a taxi van with several other people heading to Seven Mile beach.

 

The taxi driver was friendly and talkative. We heard that some taxi drivers give people issues who want to head to certain resorts, since they want to steer people towards the ones they have connections with. We had no such issues. When we told the driver we wanted to go to Royal Palms, there was no problem. The taxi driver told us about the $2 entry fee to the Royal Palms, which we knew about already, thanks to these boards. When we stopped there, we gave the driver our $8 ($4 per person). Walking toward the resort, there is a security guy, who took our entry fee.

 

The resort has a pool (for adults only), showers, rest rooms, bar/restaurant, beach chairs, umbrellas, and cabanas for rent. They also had jet skis for rent, and had a stand where you could sign up for para-sailing.

 

Since we got there early, there were plenty of open chairs. We were directed to sit wherever we liked. A server came up to collect the money for the chair rental. We rented two chairs ($5 each), and an umbrella ($10). Our server periodically came by to see if we wanted to order any drinks or food.

 

You do not have to rent chairs here. Some people just laid out on their towels. The chairs did fill up as the morning progressed.

 

The sand was soft, and the water was gorgeous. We forgot to bring our water shoes, though we were ok without them. The sand was a little rocky when first entering the water, and there were a few rocks here and there when in the water.

 

The food and drinks are a bit pricey. The menu displays the prices in Cayman dollars, though the servers will let you know what the cost is in USD. Michal ordered a Cayman beer, which he enjoyed. We decided to hang out for a while, and get lunch on the ship later.

 

We stayed at the beach for a few hours. When we decided to leave, there were plenty of taxis waiting right at the exit to the resort. Our taxi driver asked if we minded waiting a few minutes to get a few more people into the taxi van. We didn't mind, and only waited maybe 5 or 10 minutes for a few more people. Our driver once again was friendly, and spoke to everyone about the island. A few of us wanted to shop a bit around the port area, so she dropped us off a little bit before the port area, but made sure to point out exactly where we would get back on the ship.

 

In the port area, we tried out some rum cake, and Michal bought one. Then we headed back to the ship on a tender, and had enjoyed the Caribbean lunch on the Lido deck.

 

More on this day later, including pictures!

[NCbmwmom]

Thanks for the review so far. Boy the decks looked empty as you were sailing under the bridge!

[Donna1127]

Thank you for the review! We're sailing this same itinerary next month.

 

Which night do they have formal night?

[cranapple17]

Thanks for the comments, everyone.

 

Yes, the decks were pretty empty when we went under the bridge. It was a bit chilly. Pretty much every evening, the decks would empty out as it got cooler.

 

The formal night was the night of the first sea day, so the second night of the cruise.

[cranapple17]

Grand Cayman, continued.

 

 

The view of Grand Cayman from the ship

 

 

The beach at the Royal Palm

 

 

 

 

[cranapple17]

You can see the cruise ships in the distance from the beach.

 

 

Someone parasailing.

 

Someone with some sort of jet pack.

[bnrv99]

Great so far! at the Royal Palms, did they have lockers to rent? Thanks

[cranapple17]

Grand Cayman night

 

After we ate some lunch on the ship, we relaxed on some lounge chairs. Since we got back to the ship a couple hours before we set sail, we actually had a shot at some chairs!

 

That night, we skipped the dining room and had dinner on the lido deck. We went to the juggling and break dancing show that night. Our cruise director started off the show doing some juggling, which was pretty good. Then the break dancers came out. They invited some people up on the stage to participate, which was pretty funny. That part took up most of their show. It seemed like the break dancers only danced themselves for a few minutes.

 

It's worth getting to all the shows early, like 20 to 30 minutes early. The balcony of the Normandie lounge, where most of the shows take place, has pretty awful views. There are very few seats on the balcony which don't have a pole blocking part of your view. Get to the lounges early, and get a seat on the main floor of the lounge.

 

We also went to the late night adult comedy show. We enjoyed the comedians on this ship. Each of their shows has different material, so feel free to go to all of them. You have to get there early, though. The first sea night we tried to go to a show, and got there maybe 15 minutes early and couldn't find a seat. This night we went 30 minutes early, and had a choice of seats.

 

We enjoyed the jacuzzi in the Serenity area this night, too. The pools and jacuzzis always had lots of people in them, and we staked out the area until a group of people finally got out. It was relaxing, but very hot. I could only stay in for maybe 15 minutes. There were lots of stars out, which was pretty.

[cranapple17]

Great so far! at the Royal Palms, did they have lockers to rent? Thanks

 

Thanks! I didn't see any lockers when I was there, so I'm not sure if they have any. Our beach chairs were pretty close to the water, so we felt comfortable leaving our stuff there when we were both in the water. We could easily keep an eye on it.

[cranapple17]

Before I move on to Cozumel, here are some random things:

 

 

• We brought a power strip, which definitely came in handy. The room only had one outlet.
  
• The inside rooms are definitely dark when the lights are off. If you're someone like me who doesn't like to sleep in a pitch black room, bring a night light. We ended up leaving the bathroom light on and cracking the door.
  
• I never had to show an ID for drinks. I never saw anyone else being carded for drinks, either. I've been told I look like I'm still in high school, so I always have my ID when ordering alcohol, yet no one carded me. After the first night, I stopped carrying it.
  

Next up later today, Cozumel and the Mayan Ruins of Tulum tour!

[gelo7]

Excellent start.

[iloverags2]

Enjoying your report!

[CruiserJul]

Thank you for doing a review....we will be sailing on her later this month :D!

[cranapple17]

Cozumel!

 

I have always loved history and culture (history major, woo!). I have always wanted to see the Mayan ruins, so we definitely knew ahead of time that we wanted to go see the ruins at Tulum. We booked the tour through Carnival ahead of time. Since this is an all day tour, with a ferry and bus ride, you most definitely want to book through Carnival, so that you don't miss the ship.

 

We received our tickets for the tour slipped under our cabin door on the first night, I think. The tickets said to meet in the Queen Mary lounge at 10:30. The ship was scheduled to get to Cozumel at 11.

 

We got to the Queen Mary lounge around 10:15. Everyone who had a mainland tour met in there. A Carnival employee gave everyone a sticker to wear to distinguish us as mainland people, I guess. When the time came for us to disembark, an employee led us all down to deck 3 to get off the ship. He led us down the pier to where the tour guys are holding the signs for the tours. We followed the guy for the Mayan ruins tour, who led us to the ferry. A guy from the ferry collected the tour excursion tickets from everyone as we got on.

 

Now, I had read that this ferry ride to the mainland is rough, and to take seasick medication before hand. I had the medication with me, but I didn't take it, as I thought I could handle it. I never got seasick before. I should have taken it... I had to close my eyes and concentrate not to get sick. Michal was fine, though. It was like a ferry speed boat. The ferry bounced up and down as it went over the waves. Some people were vomiting. The crew of the ferry were very attentive, though. They were going around making sure everyone was ok, handing out vomit bags.

 

The ferry had a few bathrooms (though I would go before the ferry takes off. I can't imagine being in there while the ferry is in motion). They also had bottled water, soda, and snacks for sale. The ride took about 45 minutes. People clapped when we go the mainland, it was that rough of a ride.

 

As soon as we got off the ferry, our tour guides were waiting for us with signs for each mainland excursion. We followed the tour guides to our buses. There were two for the Mayan ruins tour. Our tour guide Carlos gave each of us a sticker, which had the tour name, our bus number, and a phone number to call for an emergency on it. The bus was a coach style bus, which had a bathroom on it.

 

The bus ride took about 40 minutes to an hour, though it seemed to go by much faster, since our guide was very entertaining. He gave us a lot of information about the Maya, Tulum, and Mexico. After about 30 minutes, we stopped at a store selling Mayan crafts, which had restrooms. Our guide showed off the obsidian crafts for about 10 minutes before we were allowed in the store. We had about 20 minutes there. They also sold snacks and drinks.

 

After the crafts store, we only had about 10 or 15 more minutes to go to the site. Carlos explained everything of how our day would go. At the parking area for the site, there are lots of stores selling crafts, bathrooms, and restaurants. It's about a 15-20 minute walk from the parking area to the ruins. There was also a trolley that would people to the ruins for a few dollars.

 

Once we entered the ruins, Carlos gave us a tour for about 45 minutes. He did his best to keep us in the shade, because it was hot, even for us Floridians. If you go, make sure you have a hat. Carlos gave us some background information about the site. He also showed us several pictures from a binder he had, including what the site might have looked like during its prime. After the tour, we had another hour and a half to explore on our own, which was plenty of time, as the site isn't very large. We had enough time to look at all the ruins, to check out the beach below, and to walk back to the parking area and get some food.

 

Some people brought their swim suits and had fun on the beach. We didn't bring ours since we wanted to concentrate on seeing everything.

 

After touring the ruins, we got some food at a restaurant Carlos recommended in the area with the shops/restaurants. We had chicken tacos, which came with rice and a bean puree. We also got the Ay, ay, ay salsa, which was very spicy, but delicious. Michal got a Mexican beer, and I had Fanta. All of that came to about $20, which wasn't bad at all.

 

When we went back to the bus, Carlos had cold towels to clean our hands and face, which was very refreshing. He also had bottled water, chips, and some sort of Mexican cookie dessert thing for each of us. The bus ride back went by fast, too. Carlos let us rest, but he answered questions if people had them. Before we got off the bus, he gave a little speech about tipping him and the driver, which sort of rubbed me the wrong way a bit (I don't like when people ask for tips), but we tipped both him and the driver on the way off the bus, since it was an enjoyable trip. Carlos walked us right back to the ferry. I made sure to take the seasick medication I brought before the ferry ride, so I was fine for the ride back.

 

We got back to the pier about 6:30, an hour before we had to be on the ship. We decided to go right back to the ship, though, since we were exhausted. We got dinner on the lido, and fell asleep about 9:30. We had a lot of fun, but were tired from our long day.

 

Next up, pictures!

[cranapple17]

Me in front of the Paradise.

 

The inside of the ferry. Comfortable seats, but rough ride.

 

The Oasis of the Seas was also in port.

 

 

Walking off the ferry towards the buses. There was a gorgeous beach here.

 

[cranapple17]

These iguanas were all over the place at the ruins.

 

We took lots of photos at the ruins. Here are just a few:

 

 

 

 

[cranapple17]

The beach

 

Most of the walkways were paved and easy to walk, though there were areas that were rocky and/or slippery. Definitely wear sneakers on this excursion. We found this one ruin which was partially in the jungle. We felt like Indiana Jones, haha.

 

 

The exit. The doorways were small.

 

Next up, last sea day.

[cranapple17]

Last sea day!

 

We got up early so that we could get lounge chairs. We claimed our chairs, and then took turns getting breakfast. We relaxed most of the day on deck, drinking cocktails and enjoying the sunshine.

 

Before dinner, we went to the last singing and dancing show, which I believe was called Showtime. They sang and danced to songs from different eras. This show was very good, the best that we saw on the cruise. We made sure to get seats on the main floor of the Normandie lounge so we could have a good view.

 

We had dinner in the dining room, and then went back to the room to begin packing. We chose to do the relaxed debarkation, so we put our luggage outside of our room with the zone tag the steward left in the room.

 

We went to two of the adult comedy shows this night, which we enjoyed. We got there 30 minutes early, which allowed us our choice of seats in the Queen Mary lounge. After both shows, we headed back to the room for bed. The luggage had been picked up at this point (it was after 11 p.m.).

 

Debarkation

 

We got up around 7:30, and finished packing. We were almost at the port already. We decided to take our carry on bags with us to breakfast. We had breakfast in our favorite outdoor spot behind the Paris restaurant, and relaxed until our zone was called. We got off the ship around 10:30. Finding our luggage and going through immigration was pretty quick. Sadly, our vacation was over.

 

Overall, we had a great time. We will definitely try cruising again!

 

Some random pictures from the cruise:

 

 

 

 

 

[SkyMaster]

Thanks for posting your review. I can't wait to get back aboard for "Five Days on Paradise" again next month.

I think the second of the two big production shows in the lounge is called "Shout". I agree that both of those shows, (Shout and Five Seconds More) are excellent!

 

"SKY"

[AmberTeka]

Enjoyed your review. Thanks for taking the time to post it. Pics were great.

[wagboss]

I will be on the Paradise in 8 days. Thanks for the great info!

[CapsR1]

Thanks for posting your review and photos. Hope you and your partner will now join the group of us that love to cruise! Great job!