The best and the worst of Carnival Paradise May 27, 2017

[Geobugs]

Top Ten List

1. Comedian Arvin Mitchell

2. Shows: Epic Rock show and 80s Pop to the Max show

3. Food: Melting Chocolate Cake, Prime Rib,Steak Tacos.

4. Restaurants: Destiny Restaurant(much nicer than the YTD Elation restaurant), Carnival Deli, Mongolian Wok.

5. Trivia contests, the UK girl hosts were fun.

6. Hasbro game shows

7. Sauna and Gym

8. Embarkation process, on board at 11:50 a.m.

9. Cabin Steward, memorized our four names the first day, twice a day service, and always knew when to clean, never interrupted us, name was Jonathan.

10. Corn hole and mini golf, actually fun in a simple way.

11. Ship size, condition(only one elevator broken), always could find a pool chair, serenity deck very nice, deck layout flowed, fast elevators, clean, never crowded, kids never an issue, most were 21-50 in age, and decent behavior.

 

Bottom Ten List

1. Casino slots and table game payouts, 6/5 blackjack, $6 min everywhere.

2. Costa Maya port, nothing to see here, triple the price trinkets, dirty pool, windy and humid.

3. Comedy club director, her last week, and for good reason. All she seemed to talk about was get more drunk(spend more) and get someone pregnant if you can.

4. Welcome Aboard show, it was a waste of time, just a big advertisement.

5. Karaoke. While this is cruiser specific, the Karaoke host complained too much about not clapping enough. I support, but clapping every five minutes for a terrible singer gets old and tiring. I clap and even stand for decent performances. Also the non-rated R time slots were too many.

6. The bands / musical groups were average.

7. Arcade was a joke, so small and expensive.

8. Mandatory safety briefing, while the majority of the time was in a lounge, the five minutes on deck, butt-to-nut, was nasty.

9. Cruise Director, Brandon. While funny and good, he did not hang out with people on the ship. He could have been so much more fun with the Love and Marriage show.

10. Debarkation process time, 1 hr. 20 minutes.

 

Ask your questions :)

Will try to post the FUNTIMES.

[ATLGirls]

Thank you! We are on June 10 sailing and this is helpful.

[smarks]

Thank you Geobugs for taking time out to do a very nice review. Love the way you broke it down. We sail on her in Dec. for 10 days.

[kyboymom]

We were on this sailing as well..100% agree with your review. Arvin was definitely the highlight!

[ray98]

We were on the sailing also. It was the first Carnival cruise in around 2 years. We really enjoyed the Sea Day Brunch and the items at the coffee bar on Cheers.

[bury me at sea]

Interesting and concise way to do a review. I enjoyed it. Thanks for posting.

[grammymarcia]

We were on the May 13th cruise. there were 3 of us. We loved the casino, so much nicer than the Vista's, we even played on their money for 5 days and brought a little home with us. As for Costa Maya, we hadn't been there in years, not since that "pool" was put in. It looked so over crowded and a little "dirty". We went into Mahahual and found a great place on the beach called the Krazy Lobster. Great food, $5 bucket of beers, fabulous service. We had a table in the shade as well as loungers on the water. Venture out, it was a $2 ride into town. We loved it, an even cheaper day than Mr. Sancho's that we had done the day before and had everything but a pool.

[Captain Carnival]

Top Ten List

 

8. Embarkation process, on board at 11:50 a.m.

 

So happy to have gotten you aboard - but I'll miss you.....most of all!!!

[Geobugs]

Captain Carnival, BTW, when you were not looking, we sneaked into the Captain's lounge. We should have been in Group #1. Eventually, we joined the line with the Suite cruisers. I bet you can guess which ones we were, LOL!

[Captain Carnival]

Captain Carnival, BTW, when you were not looking, we sneaked into the Captain's lounge. We should have been in Group #1. Eventually, we joined the line with the Suite cruisers. I bet you can guess which ones we were, LOL!

 

 

Great, now I have to build a wall....and RCCL is going to pay for it - LOL!!!

[indygirl76]

Great, now I have to build a wall....and RCCL is going to pay for it - LOL!!!

Dying. 😂

[Tapi]

About Costa Maya: you HAVE to get away from that nasty welcome center! Back when Costa Maya opened, the welcome center was pleasant, but it has grown to a very overcrowded and unpleasant experience.

 

However, there are plenty of things to do in the area, but you need to be willing to explore. The last time we were there we took a quick and inexpensive taxi cab to the nearby village of Mahahual, with its pristine and uncrowded beaches. Everything here, from food, to beers, to beachfront massages are priced at a fraction of what you'll pay at the Welcome center.

 

On our previous visit to Costa Maya we took an excursion to the nearby Mayan Ruins of Chachobben. It was another fantastic day, exploring the ruins and learning about this culture. And it's one of the most accesible Mayan Ruins in all of Mexico, about 30 minutes from the port.

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[ZoeyVictoria]

Love your list method of review and very happy to know we can see Epic Rock again on the June 19 sailing. Can you tell if the propulsion problems have been solved? We are scheduled to go to Mahogany Bay and Cozumel and I would be disappointed to go to Costa Maya instead.

[ZoeyVictoria]

We were on the May 13th cruise. there were 3 of us. We loved the casino, so much nicer than the Vista's, we even played on their money for 5 days and brought a little home with us.

 

Did you play 3-card poker, and was it difficult to get a seat if you did play?

[tandemcruzr]

Thank you Geobugs for taking time out to do a very nice review. Love the way you broke it down. We sail on her in Dec. for 10 days.

 

We too are on the 10 day in Dec. :D

[tandemcruzr]

The last time we were there we took a quick and inexpensive taxi cab to the nearby village of Mahahual, with its pristine and uncrowded beaches. Everything here, from food, to beers, to beachfront massages are priced at a fraction of what you'll pay at the Welcome center.

 

Totally agree. We have always had fun in Majahual (old spelling.) Good food and drinks way cheaper than the port area. :)

 

First time there (before the hurricane) the Malecon was a dirt road that used ropes as 'speed bumps' for the bicycle riders. :D

[Geobugs]

Did you play 3-card poker, and was it difficult to get a seat if you did play?

 

It was not difficult to get a seat. The dealer was super nice and wanted you to win.

[Geobugs]

I should also mention that my son won the Poker Tournament. $150 buy-in with only 7 players. They paid out $600 and kept $450. It was all electronic, no dealer.

[Clarea]

Thanks for the report.

 

We've done the Maya Chan resort at Costa Maya and enjoyed it very much.

[grammymarcia]

Did you play 3-card poker, and was it difficult to get a seat if you did play?

Sorry, we only played the slots and my Husband played craps,. Tables didn't seem overly crowded, always seemed some were empty but didn't notice the games being played on them.:D