Paradise...not so

[LeanneS]

Just got off the Paradise this morning. This was the worst cruise that I have been on. The service and ship was fine. The food was awful on the Lido deck; it was ok in the dining room. The worst part was that it was a party boat. There were people drunk everywhere and people taking food and drinks into the hot tub. There was no dress code for the Lido deck buffet. Girls wearing bikinis, no cover ups; several men with no shirts on; and several people with no shoes. It was disgusting. It appears the dining room didn't have a dress code either. Carnival has gotten too relaxed with their rules. I am considering leaving Carnival. :(

[5Hawkeyes]

Sorry you didn't have fun. Enjoy your other cruise line.

[KPfromCT]

Short Bahamas cruise on one of the oldest in the fleet = PARTY BOAT!!!!:D

 

Unfortunately, that is the crowd they attract with these cheap 4 day getaways.

 

I see in your signature you have been on the longer ones, and am guessing your experience was very different.

 

I say try another ship for a longer trip. Pretty sure you won't be disappointed.

 

Good Luck!!!!

[Gypsywych]

Just got off the Paradise this morning. This was the worst cruise that I have been on. The service and ship was fine. The food was awful on the Lido deck; it was ok in the dining room. The worst part was that it was a party boat. There were people drunk everywhere and people taking food and drinks into the hot tub. There was no dress code for the Lido deck buffet. Girls wearing bikinis, no cover ups; several men with no shirts on; and several people with no shoes. It was disgusting. It appears the dining room didn't have a dress code either. Carnival has gotten too relaxed with their rules. I am considering leaving Carnival. :(

 

The four/five day cruises are notorious for being party cruises. It doesn't matter what line you're on. Next time try a seven or more day cruise. You'll see a better behaved crowd.

[funinthesun1964]

I just came back from a five day on the Paradise, we had a different experience. We didn't eat at the buffet for dinner, but breakfast was okay and lunch was good. The food in the dining room was good. Didn't see any obnoxious drunks. Sorry you didn't have a good time.

[ObstructedView2]

 

I'm sorry to hear about your cruise.

 

I see the Paradise is doing 4 & 5 day sailings. Typically these voyages attract a totally different clientele and outnumber the type of passengers that you would most often see on longer sailings. I agree with the others, definitely stick to 7 to 8 day or longer cruises for a better overall experience, no matter what cruise line you're traveling on.

 

 

 

:)

 

[ShellLoves2cruise]

I have sailed on the Paradise twice...one was a 5 night cruise during the week and the second time was a 4 day cruise that included the weekend. The two cruises were like night and day! The 5 night cruise was very enjoyable however the 4 night cruise was rowdy and lots of people drunk and wanting to party. If I had gone on the 4 night cruise first I probably never would have stepped foot on the Paradise again. I have always heard the shorter cruises were more of a party boat and my two experiences proved that to me!

[LeanneS]

You're right; we should stick with the longer cruises. I have always enjoyed the longer Carnival cruises. However, I wish there was a good option if you want a short getaway.

[dioxide45]

I think the short cruises that go over the weekend are more of a party boat atmosphere. We have sailed the Paradise twice on five night cruises that sailed on a Monday and we had no issues at all.

[cmptrwiz]

Sorry to hear she was my first.

[curious_st]

I leave on Paradise in 2.5 weeks on a 5 day cruise that starts on Saturday. Should I be expecting the party drunk crowd?

[dioxide45]

I think you will be okay. I think the four dayers that include the Fri, Sat, and Sun night are the worst.

[djcass4199]

I'm sorry the OP had a not great experience. We did a 4 day on Paradise on July 16 and we didnt experience a particularly rowdy atmosphere. We had a great time.

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

Three and, somewhat, four day cruises on any cruise line are a whole different animal than other cruises. They attract bachelor parties, hen parties, fraternity guys, mini reunions, young parents taking a break from their kids, relatively cheap family get togethers, over-worked and over stressed young businessmen and women looking for somewhere to let their hair down and foregoing "dress up" for a few days, young adults on the prowl, 40 somethings on the prowl, empty nesters getting away after years of being full time parents, mature adults getting away from the prying eyes of family and over curious neighbors, and a whole slew of folks who don't have the time and/or the money to spend on a "real cruise" but have been told what a fun experience it is.

 

With all these diverse groups looking for something outside of their normal, oftentimes boring every day lives who can blame them if the party it up. It's like "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" so they may choose to be a bit more rowdy, or noisy, or aggressive than they normally are. And who can blame them.

 

Consequently the cruise lines don't always put on their best face, or use their best ship, or sail to the best ports. They are hosting a "party" where the little ambiances that are evident on longer cruises just aren't required to fill the passenger quota. A pool, music, sustenance, alcohol, and a room to catch up on 40 winks is all that is necessary to keep the party going.

[joeyancho]

Just got off the Paradise this morning. This was the worst cruise that I have been on. The service and ship was fine. The food was awful on the Lido deck; it was ok in the dining room. The worst part was that it was a party boat. There were people drunk everywhere and people taking food and drinks into the hot tub. There was no dress code for the Lido deck buffet. Girls wearing bikinis, no cover ups; several men with no shirts on; and several people with no shoes. It was disgusting. It appears the dining room didn't have a dress code either. Carnival has gotten too relaxed with their rules. I am considering leaving Carnival. :(

 

Sounds like the typical Carnival cruise. I have been on many of those cruises (and had a good time) but I am getting too old for that nonsense. Try Princess. We switched two years ago. The difference is like night and day. You pay more but it is worth every penny.

[Planner48]

Sounds like it was a good cruise with people enjoying themselves for the most part.

[tandemcruzr]

Sounds like the typical Carnival cruise. I have been on many of those cruises (and had a good time) but I am getting too old for that nonsense. Try Princess. We switched two years ago. The difference is like night and day. You pay more but it is worth every penny.

 

That's quite a generalization. We have sailed Carnival 23 times including 4 and 5 day cruises. Never experienced what you refer to as 'typical' on any of them.

 

It may depend on the departure port vs the length of the cruise.

[ASchaff]

That is one thing we love about Carnival, that we do not have to get dressed to grab some food off the buffet.

 

We were on the Paradise 2 years ago, and it wasn't a party boat at all. It was very calm and quiet. Some weeks are going to be more "party" than others, that isn't something Carnival can control or predict.

[Shutterlady]

I totally agree with everyone. I did a weekend cruise out of Long Beach to Ensenada. Lots of Bachelor and Bachelorette parties on board. In the dining room one of the guys in the bachelor group brought a full size blow up doll. And lots of guys (including the ones in that particular group) that had on baseball caps. I couldn't believe that they never made the guy take the blow up doll out of the dining room. However, I expected the party atmosphere. Just disappointed at how much they all did get away with.

[Tapi]

However, I wish there was a good option if you want a short getaway.

 

Some of the more upscale cruise lines like Celebrity and Princess are now offering shorter cruises. We sailed on a Princess 4 night cruise last fall and it was absolutely fantastic. Yes, the atmosphere is more elegant and sedated, but at the same time its more relaxed and carefree than what you would normally expect on a longer cruise on these cruise lines. On our particular Princess sailing, we didn't even have formal nights (which surprised me since Carnival still has "elegant" nights, even on their shortest cruise). A lot of people attended the MDR in shorts and were never turned away.

 

Overall, it was a wondrful short getaway with the right amount of relaxed and casual fun while still offering unpretentious class. And the best part about it was that it was actually cheaper than a Carnival cruise sailing on the same date and on a similar itinerary.

 

Feel free to click on my photo review for more detailed information (link in my signature).

[SadieN]

No cruise line is immune. Last November in the Golden Princess was a group that was very, ummm, rambunctious (that's a good word). I will say the people watching was much more enjoyable on the cruise than the other Princess cruises we've been on. It was fun watching those in the group and those watching those in the group. :D

[sweenbean21]

We did the 4 day to cozumel on the paradise .. I definitely agree it was a party boat and frequently I was awaken at 2 am but loud people in the halls..but it didn't ruin my time, I enjoyed people watching and laughing at the drunks running to not miss the boat on sail away :)

[CruiseHealing]

We love the short 4 day cruises over the weekend. We have done at least 8 of our 23 cruises as 4 day weekend cruises. Cruise lines include CCL, RCCL NCL and Disney. They can get loud and a bit crazy. A lot of these cruises we have taken were booked within the last month before sailing. So, these were differently cut loose vacation getaways! Like one poster said, people watching is a good part of the fun.

 

I must also admit walking through the Lido buffet without a shirt on, but I did wear flip-flops! I was also three sheets to the wind. As much as I can remember, I have done this on At least 3 of the 8 short cruises. I must also admit doing it on longer cruises as well.

 

Our next cruise is a 4 day weekend cruise out of Tampa.

 

So, I guess you are talking about me. Oh well, BYE!!!!!!

Edited September 29, 2015 by CruiseHealing

[mommom of 7]

We just did a B2B 5 day the 14th & 19th.

I have already spoke to higher management about the lack of control in the Lido Buffet.

When I complained to the young man in charge about the Bikini & bare feet he told me oh we can't do anything all we can do is suggest the cover up.

As a Diamond cruiser with 21 of our cruises being on the PARADISE I knew better.

Spoke to GSM & also the FM in person also followed up with a couple of calls after we got home.

Had one person tell me he said that because he didn't know me. Well now he does.

Don't give up on that great ship, most of the crew are really good & caring people.

We are going back four more times this year.

Char

[silvercrikhix]

Lesson learned, OP about short weekend cruises, they are not for you.

I DO, however, strongly agree that passengers in swimsuits only is a health & sanitation issue, for sure in food venues!

I could care less if they have shoes on.

Most people do NOT want to sit on a chair that previously had a nearly nude bottom on it.

This also will leave oily, lotiony, sweaty residue from said parts.

I for one do not want to come into contact with that. YUCK

 

There is also the body hair issue, who wants stray arm, leg, armpit, nether region hair possibly dropped into a self serve steamer or bowl of food.

Or left on their chair

As far as being the "fashion police", that is as ridiculous as can be.

It is a SANITARY & HEALTH issue, don't care what they wear as long as their hair, oil, lotion & sweat is kept to themselves!!

 

Carnival has stated to us that they do not address complaints unless they receive MULTIPLE complaints about the same thing. This is a fact.

Sooo, if you don't like something, please complain to Carnival!

Edited September 29, 2015 by silvercrikhix