Review: Carnival Paradise Feb 2-7

[slang1272]

Background:

I am 42 man living in Savannah, GA. My partner of 15 years is 52. This is was our 12th cruise (all on Carnival) It was our first on Paradise, but most of our others have been on Fantasy class ships, so we were quite familiar with the layout.

 

Pre-Cruise:

We booked the Hampton Inn in Ybor City pre-cruise. The hotel was clean and within walking distance to lots of restaurants and bars. Our room was pretty large and clean. The staff was exceptionally helpful. The hotel has “park & cruise” package which was fantastic. We signed up for the 10:30 shuttle at the front desk. We were the only two people on the shuttle and the driver had us at the port in about 10 minutes, maybe less. All in all, I’d highly recommend this hotel.

 

Day 1

Embarkation:

We arrived at the port, dropped off our bags and headed to the Platinum/VIFP entrance. The VIP lounge at this port is very small but we were greeted, seated and given our boarding card within 15 minutes of arrival. Of course, it was another 30-45 minutes before we were actually able to board, but the check-in process was very smooth and seamless.

 

Once on the ship, we headed to our room to drop off our bags. We were in cabin V2. We originally had booked an interior cabin on the same deck, but got an upsell call and took it. We had been in a “Junior Suite” before so we knew what to expect. These are essentially the same size as a regular balcony cabin on any other ship. The decor is a little nicer, but it’s essentially just a balcony cabin with a fancy name.

 

V2 is a nice cabin. It’s not very private though.

I’m glad we took the upgrade, but if I had a choice of a different cabin, I would have taken it. As you can see, this cabin is VERY close to the stairway that leads to the viewing deck above the bridge. This was something we were willing to deal with.

 

After dropping off our bags, we stopped went Lido for Lunch. It was just starting to rain and get chilly. We still managed to get in our first drink at the Lido bar though!

 

Luckily the rain didn’t last long. The sun was out and starting to warm up by the time the Muster Drill rolled around.

 

After muster, we explored the ship a bit before dinner.

 

 

 

 

We at dinner in the main dining room every night. We were seated at a large table with 4 others. No complaints about the food or service. Both were top notch.

 

We skipped the Welcome Aboard show as we have seen some variation of it many times before and we were exhausted.

[slang1272]

Day 2

Sea Day

Sea days are what you make of them. We had a bit of room service delivered to the room and made mimosas with some of the champagne we brought with us.

 

I spent a good part of it on Serenity reading. The lounge chairs in the sun were all taken quickly, but there were spots available in the shade, which suited me just fine.

 

This was also our elegant night, so we put on our best rags and chowed down on lobster.

 

After dinner we dropped some money in the slot machines and headed off to bed. We had a big day in Grand Cayman the next day!

[slang1272]

Day 3

Grand Cayman

 

Our first stop was Grand Cayman. The last time we visited, we booked a jet ski tour but it was canceled due to weather. So, we wanted to try it again. We booked the Stingray City Waverunner tour through Island Marketing. We were picked up at our appointed spot and taken to the resort where the tour was to begin. The tour consisted of me, my partner and our guide. Nice!

 

The water was pretty rough that day, but we still managed to get going. We made our way to Stingray City and played around with some rays. It was pretty amazing.

 

After Stingray City we had the option of going to snorkel spot or to Rum Point for some beach time. We don’t snorkel so Rum Point it was. I didn’t hate Rum Point, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless it was part of an excursion that went someplace else as well. The food was expensive and the drinks were expensive. I have to admit, the view was pretty nice, but it was not my favorite spot. Luckily we were there for just a short time.

 

Once we left Rum Point, we headed back to the resort. The water had become a bit choppier, so were tossed around a bit on the waverunners. I was flying over the waves and playing around a bit too much and got tossed! After a few less-than-graceful attempts, I managed to get back on the waverunner and we were off again.

 

All in all, I loved this tour! Playing with stingrays was fun. Waverunners were fun. I could skip the Rum Point stop and still be satisfied with the tour.

 

Once back at the resort, the driver took us back to port and we puttered around until the last tender was going back.

 

Back on the ship, we showered and then fell into a coma. Riding waverunners is hard work!

 

We made it to dinner and then to the piano bar. I’ve found the piano bar can be hit or miss and this was a miss for us. I think the location, coupled with the layout of the bar was part of it. I just wasn’t feeling it. There weren’t a lot of people singing along and it was the same songs we’ve heard in every other piano bar. Not that the song selection is much of a surprise. You know when you go into the piano bar that you’ll hear variations of the same songs over and over. It’s not much fun if the crowd isn’t participating though.

 

We left the piano bar and headed to our very first comedy show! We’ve been on 11 previous cruises and never made it to a comedy show. I don’t know what we were waiting for, it was fantastic!

[Cruisegirl6]

Beautiful photos the stingray swim will always be one of my favorite excursions.

[slang1272]

Day 4

Cozumel

 

We booked the Cozumel Bar Hop tour privately. This tour goes to the eastern side of the island where there is little electricity or residences. We took a cab to our designated spot and found our tour guides.

 

On our way to the other side of the island, our guide gave us a history of the island and pointed out things along the way.

 

This tour was very relaxing and fun. The tour includes a t-shirt and a signature shot at each of the 4 bar stops. Food and any other drinks were extra. We had a great time and enjoyed each stop for different reasons.

 

Punta Morena. I really liked this stop. It was very pretty. It was kind of busy, but still fun.

 

Coconuts

I didn't hate Coconuts, but it wasn't my favorite. The bar itself reminded me of just about any beach bar anywhere. It was still fun, but not my fave. The restrooms here, and are especially...um.. rustic.

They do have some cool animals though.

Once you get away from the bar, the views are nice

 

 

Playa Bonita

This stop is very pretty. The bar is elevated, so there are some great views.

The food is good too! I had the fish tacos and they were delish!

 

Rastas

My favorite stop. It was so relaxing here. That may be attributed to the amount of alcohol we had at the previous 3 stops, but it was relaxing nevertheless.

 

Once we got back, we napped again. An afternoon of drinking can really take its toll!

[slang1272]

Day 5

Sea Day

 

Most sea days are pretty tame for me. This one was definitely NOT tame, at least by my standards.

 

We went to brunch and enjoyed the steak and eggs. I always get the steak and eggs. I told myself that I would try something different this time, but I caved. I can’t resist the steak and eggs.

 

After brunch my partner went to the art auction and I did some trivia. I didn’t win at trivia, but I had a good time.

 

After trivia, we met back up and decided to use our BOGO slot tournament entries. Wouldn’t you know it? I made it to the final round. They told me to be back at 2:15 to try for the $500 prize.

 

I’ve entered these tournaments in the past, and never qualify. It’s a bit of fun for a few minutes though. So, when I found that I made it to the finals, I was shocked, to say the least.

 

We hit the Rotterdam bar for a lucky cocktail and then hightailed it back to the casino for the finals, and I won! $500 and a spot in the finals at the $100,000 grand finale tournament in May. Of course, I have to book a cruise to get to that tournament.

 

Anyway, we immediately took that money to Guest Services and paid down our bill. What a way to end the cruise!

[slang1272]

Debarkation

 

We had priority debarkation, so we got up early and had a nice breakfast in the MDR. After breakfast, we headed to our appointed spot for priority debarkation.We waited there for about 45 minutes and were then led off the ship. Easy peasy.

 

After finding our luggage and going through customs, we called the Hampton and requested the shuttle. It took the shuttle all of 5 minutes to arrive.

 

Final Thoughts

 

I REALLY loved the Paradise. I know she's an older ship, but I thought the service was exceptional and I enjoyed the decor. Some have mentioned the blue eggs everywhere, but I found the decor far less garish than the other Fantasy class ships. Oh, the $500 slot tournament wasn't bad either!

 

So.....now we're booked on the Dream in May so I can win the $100,000 slot tournament final.

[mwood0612]

Great review so far!! We were on the Paradise the week after you guys!! I wish we could have gone to grand cayman as well!!! There's always next time!!! ;)

[IndyGirl]

Thanks for the review, just booked the Paradise today! You will love the Dream, my personal favorite ship.

[LUVMYGSDOG]

Great review! I love the Paradise too. Congrats on the $500 win!!

 

I always get the steak and eggs too. And the tomato soup.

 

 

Kim

[bbyost]

Do you remember the time of the last tender back to the ship in Grand Cayman? We are doing a bike tour that gets done at 1:30 island time.

 

Thank you!

Edited April 11, 2015 by bbyost

[slang1272]

I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure it was around 3 or 4. I know it was well after 2pm when we finished our waverunner tour, and we still had time to do a little shopping and grab a beer before getting on one of the last tenders.

 

 

Do you remember the time of the last tender back to the ship in Grand Cayman? We are doing a bike tour that gets done at 1:30 island time.

 

Thank you!