Paradise 11/1+everything to know Fantasy class ships inc pics of all cabin classes

[MLJS]

The ship:

The hallways were all updated.  I think carnival must have a boat load of this turquois carpet, because it has been around for as long as I can remember.  The pictures are all beach scenes.  The doors are made to look like wood but are still metal.

 

 I did see one person with magnets holding up decorations on the door.  I saw another group that strung birthday signs on each side of the door and down the hall.  This is disrespectful to the cabin crew that have to get into the compartment to get things to keep your cabin clean.

[MLJS]

The lido deck before too many people got out there. The hot tub that was really hot was on the far side of the pool

 

[MLJS]

On deck 11, up from the lido deck pool area towards the front is a giant chess game along with two ping pong tables.  There are lounge chairs that over look the pool.  The smoking section is also up here. The “no smoking sign” was out when we got on board because they were refueling. They do not allow any smoking on deck while the refueling was taking place. They did make an announcement when smoking was allowed. 

Edited November 16, 2018 by MLJS

[MLJS]

Between the Waterworks area and the stairs to the Lido pool area on Deck 11 Aft port-side is shuffle board 

[MLJS]

All the way aft on deck 11 is the Waterworks area.  It has a sun deck full of lounge chairs.  A great place for parents to sit and watch their kids play.  There are steps from the pool area of the Lido area and all the way Aft outside the Buffett area.  

[MLJS]

The casino area has been rearranged.  The table games are more towards the back, parallel to the cashiers, and the slot machines have been moved forward.  I more than double my money on the slots but then my husband and I played the quarter slide and lost some.  We aren't big gamblers, so we only spend a few hours at most in the casino.  It is one of the places they allow smoking and at night, it is really bad.  I heard complaints from some of the gamblers that in the evenings, it was really hard to find a machine.  I went at 10 am on the last sea day and had no problem.  

 

They have a new new program for the casino. I do not know all the details of it, but if you spend enough you get free drinks while in the casino and possibly on your next cruise. They also offer special casino rates (it was not as good as my 2 week offer after we got back) and even free cruises. 

[MLJS]

The renovations to promenade deck (deck 9) has added a lot more seating in the area between the casino and the aft lounge.  There is a bar mid ship and a stage area where the musicians play.   The mid-ship elevators only come up to this level. If you come out there is a set stairs that takes you up to the lido deck. 

 

[MLJS]

My favorite place on the ship is the serenity deck.  I love sitting in the first row and looking out over the water.  We were not sure if we would still use this deck with the balcony, but we did.  There are 4 umbrellas and it appears they have updated the design to allow wind to blow through easier.  Even under the umbrellas, you can get sun. They block some of the rays but not all.  Depending on the time of year, the sun may be blocked by the upper decks (as is was during our January cruise) or not.  We sat to the port side, and the umbrellas did little to shield us from the sun on this trip  If it gets too hot, I have used the shower in the back behind the hot tub to cool off.   If you want chairs on this deck, you should plan to arrive between 8:30-9am.  If there are not many kids on the ship, you can usually find a seat later.

Edited November 16, 2018 by MLJS

[MLJS]

There are a staircase on the serenity deck that is seldom used.  This is NOT available on the Paradise but all the other ships in this class do have it.  There is normally a bathroom one flight down and additional flight leads to the Empress Deck (7th Floor) Aft hallway.  I love having room on th Empress deck and using theses stairs.  That way you do not have to go through the Aft lounge or the buffet area to get back to your room.

[MLJS]

There are two hot tubs on this deck, but they were more like warm pools.  We ended up in the hot tub in the middle of the Lido deck by the stage.  It was extremely hot and actually felt like a hot tube.

[MLJS]

One of the best things about cruising out of Tampa is going under the Sunshine Bridge,  We went under about 6:10 pm, so about 2 hours and 10 minutes after departing.  It is really cool to see the ship go under.  From what I understand, the ship takes on water to lower itself so that the tail will fit under the bridge.  The Sky deck (deck 15) was a great place to watch but it was incredibly windy.  I could hardly hold my glass of wine, so I went down the Deck 14 and watched from the side.  Since my husband had never seen it, he watched from Deck 15 and took pictures.

 

[MLJS]

Here are pictures of the Atrium. There is a great bar down there usually with live entertainment.   The excursion desk and guest services are located here also. It is the Empress deck 7. 

Edited November 16, 2018 by MLJS

[MLJS]

If you find the showers in your cabin claustrophobic or just too small, the bathroom in the spa is a great alternative.  It is located on on Deck 12.  You do not have to pay to use the changing room and the showers are much larger than what is in your cabin.  It is also a great option if you have multiple people in a cabin.  Especially after returning from shore excursions when everyone is hot and tired, it makes getting ready much easier.    You can tour the spa and gym on the first day.  They will do a raffle for "$500" but is usually a bunch of small raffles that add up to $500.  It is at 5pm after departure and usually draws a good crowd.  I have used the spa services but find they are overpriced.  The staff is subcontracted to carnival from a company based in England.   This is the front desk and their special on day 1:

[MLJS]

The Build A Bear Workshop was help in the Queen Mary Aft Lounge on Deck 9 on the last sea day.  Here are some pictures from it

[MLJS]

The new mini-golf course is located on deck 14

[MLJS]

Circle C club for kids 12-14 is located on deck 8. Here are pictures of the newly renovated area. 

 

Edited November 16, 2018 by MLJS

[MLJS]

Camp Ocean is located on Deck 12 forward. The newly renovated area is beautiful and looks like it would be lots of fun. 

[MLJS]

Club O2 is located off the main atrium on deck 9 on the port side. My step daughter enjoyed the O2 club on our cruise in 2016. She made friends that she is still in touch with. Here are pictures of the new area:

[MLJS]

Next to Club O2 on deck 9 is the arcade. The steps next to the arcade come out of the theater on the port side on deck 9

Edited November 16, 2018 by MLJS

[MLJS]

They did not add a new “Cherry on Top” when they did the last dry dock. There is still a Special Occassions Shop located on Promenade Deck port side behind the United States Bar and next to the Casino. It appears to have most of the same items. 

[MLJS]

The $10 Shop has been converted to a Guess store on the Promedade Deck 9 mid-ship

[MLJS]

The shops on Deck 8 forward,  located between the theater and the atrium, have been modernized and have new merchandise 

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Next are the different cabin types available on the Patadise with different bed setups. 

 

U79- Grand Suite 

can sleep up to 5 people

 

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Cabin V27 – Jr. Suite Obstructed VIew

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Cabin U81 – Interior Room on the Upper Deck– two single beds