Just Returned Paradise 4-NT Baja

[azlefty]

will do. thanks for the heads up.

[boaterette]

Did the paradise have the new bedding? If so, how was it?

[drjpreston]

Thanks for the report. We try to take the four day on the Paradise at least once a year. This year we tried the Royal Caribbean, Monarch of the Sea for a change. We enjoyed it but missed the soft serve ice cream. :>) Next four day will be back on Carnival. We like the day at sea that you don’t get with RC

 

Jim & BJ

[Suburban Drudgery]

my first cruise. It was Dec and very cold. We did Catalina(which me and my dh has been to many times since we grew up in Los Angeles) and Ensenada which we found to be not great but it's mexico and poor and it was cold and raining and gray. We walked around, bought some stuff, had lunch and a few beers and went back onto the boat early. Our best day was he last when we sailed around the little island up north in Ventura, CA.:)

[cruzegirl]

Peggy & Dottie,

Glad to hear your review... I was hoping for one sometime soon.... Question for you....

1. Are there hair dryers in the ocean view staterooms?

2. How was the pool water?? Cold or warm??

Thanks.... Can't wait for my cruise in 2 1/2 weeks....yeah.....:D

[paradise sailor]

We just arrived home from the Paradise 4-NT sailing 02-06-06 to 02-10-06. We had a great time, and since there doesn’t seem to be too many posts for the Paradise, I thought I would try to give some information about our cruise.

 

We spent the night on the Queen Mary and went to early check-in which is easy to find because there are Carnival employees who will direct you to the right place. We gave our two pieces of luggage to a fellow located at the entrance to the parking garage, and then we went back to the Queen Mary for some breakfast. At the Queen Mary, they told us that early check-in starts at 9:00 am, and boarding usually starts around 11:30 am or 12:00 pm. Once the line started moving at the dome, check-in went fairly quickly and we were on the ship in good time.

 

This was our third cruise on the Paradise, and the first since it became a “smoking” ship. They restrict smoking to certain areas on the ship, so smoke was never a problem for us. We were blessed with beautiful weather throughout the cruise. It was foggy a few times, but the sun soon burned it away. We did the semi-submersible tour in Catalina and took the shuttle to La Bufadora in Ensenada. Our guide on that tour showed us the safe places to eat in the vendor area, and we had the BEST fish tacos of our lives!! There is a small taco stand/bar across from Havana Banana that you shouldn’t miss. They make the corn tortillas fresh for each taco as you order, and they also had carne asada tacos and shrimp tacos. The best part? They were only $1.00 each (shrimp $2.00), and the beers were two for $3.00.

 

For the most part, we were happy with the food in the dining room. However, the Beef Wellington was the worst we had ever had. The Prime Rib, Lobster, Filet Mignon, and Chateaubriand were very good. My favorite desserts were the Key Lime Pie and the Chocolate Fudge Cake. We were fortunate to have two other couples at our table that we really enjoyed, and that made the dining experience even better. We ate breakfast and lunch in the Paris Lido Restaurant, and it was your standard buffet food. My husband had some cheese pizza right from the oven which was terrific, and we had Chicken Caesar Salad a couple of times from the Pizza place. I didn’t have a sandwich from the sandwich bar, but they looked really good. Of course, there was the Hamburger/Hot dog/french frie bar, and they were pretty good as well. I can't fail to mention the frozen yogurt, which I have become addicted to!! There was carved meat every day at lunch time, and that was always good. My only complaint for the Paris restaurant is that they had a very limited selection of fresh fruit available. It was always the same... three types of melon cut up and thrown together. We found some apples at the chips and salsa party on the Promenade Deck on Wednesday, and we pocketed a few!!

 

I can honestly tell you that the service every where on the ship was excellent. I didn’t come across one crew member that wasn’t happy to help you, and they were very friendly and always smiling. Our safe was malfunctioning, and they had someone up to fix it within fifteen minutes. Now that’s service!! A fellow named Trevor Block (?) was the Cruise Director, and we’ve had better and we’ve had worse. For us, he was just “okay.” However, he was getting off the ship for his vacation, so I’m not sure who was replacing him.

 

The process of disembarkation was well run, very organized. We were out of our cabin by 8:00 am, and went up to the Paris for breakfast. We were the fifth color called, and were off the ship and in our car by 9:30 am. If you had an early flight, they made the orange tags available to you, and they were the first color called. We left our car in the Queen Mary parking lot, which was $10.00 a night. The parking was free the night we spent on the Queen Mary. It is fun to walk around that grand old ship and experience the history of her sailing days.

 

In conclusion, we had a great time on the Paradise. We have always loved this ship, and it did not disappoint. For a short fun getaway, I would definitely recommend this cruise. If you have any questions I will try to answer them. I have sailed on the Paradise twice from Miami when she was smoke free and had the same cabin both times...I would not change one thing I experianced...My all time favorite ship...glad you had such a great time :D

 

Fascination...from Puerto Rico...2/14/98...Southern Caribbean...7 day

Paradise...from Miami...4/14/01...Eastern Caribbean...7 Day

Paradise...from Miami...3/27/03..Eastern Caribbean...Got enguaged...7 Day

NCL Dawn...3/26/06..from New York...Western Caribbean...12 day

[FANCYPANTS]

My friend just got sick and will not be with me on the feb 27 sailing of the paradise, anyone out there have any experience sailing solo?

[JustRambling]

We are doing this same cruise in July of this year with my dad and his wife. Thanks so much for the review. This will be my husband, 2 boys and my first cruise ever, and I'm finding it very hard to get info on this cruise, though it seems like a lot of people have done it.

 

I have a question...was there a midnight buffet? If so, when was it (obviously at midnight..but what day?) and what foods were there?

 

One other question....Were there any Comedian acts on the ship? I think that appeals to me more than music. LOL! Though, I LOVE music.

 

Thanks if you are able to reply to my questions.

Hugs,

Diana