Just off great Paradise cruise!

[topsweeper]

We were on the Paradise four day cruise April 3 - April 7. This was our first cruise on Carnival and it exceeded our expectations. Thanks to all of you here for your fabulous tips and helpful information!

 

There hadn't been too much on the Paradise lately, and then recently a few of you have posted some reviews of your trips. Here's a little information about our trip.

 

We flew on Jet Blue from Oakland to Long Beach the day before and stayed aboard the Queen Mary. It was also our first time on Jet Blue and we were very impressed. Taxi fare to the Queen Mary is a flat $24.00. We booked a first class renovated stateroom and received the Carnival rate of $119 per night (regularly $159 or $169). Our stateroom was not ready at the appointed time (4:00 p.m.) and we were begrudgingly given a junior suite. We loved the beautiful wood and all the nostalgic touches. She really was a queen in her day, and hopefully they will not let her fade away. We had two portholes- facing the Long Beach Harbor- which is a "must" if you can get it. Dinner at "Sir Winston's" was a real treat. Can't say the say for the Promenade Restaurant (breakfast). Something didn't agree with me and I lost my breakfast.

 

Embarcation was a breeze. The Queen Mary is right next to the cruise terminal. We got on board at the Empress Deck and our stateroom was ready before 1:00 p.m. We were a party of seven and had two cabins on the Verandah deck (V-18 and V-42). V-42 was partially obstructed, but really on one side only. We also had two outside cabins on the Upper deck. Everyone was very pleased with their cabins. We could not say enough good about our cabin steward (Irina). She was great!

 

We ate all our dinners in the Elation Dining Room and breakfasts in the Destiny Dining Room (breakfast was not served in the Elation). We ate all our lunches/snacks in the Lido Restaurant. The food and service was very good, particularly the steak, lobster and prime rib. Those in our party who had the fish said that it was very good. Desserts were good, but nothing to rave about. The Grand Marnier Souffle was good, but we ordered extra Grand Marnier liquors to add more flavor! On the last evening, they automatically serve Baked Alaska. This is a disappointment if you expect the Grand Parade of Flaming Baked Alaska, as they do on many of the ships. Here, it is nothing more than neopolitan ice cream with frosting.

 

I am not much on buffets, but I did enjoy the deli. Had delicious made-to-order sandwiches every day (particularly enjoyed the corned beef and pastrami combo). The 24 hour ice cream is great; the pizza is pretty good.

 

The entertainment was very good. We enjoyed all four shows: the welcome on board show and comedian; "Hello Hollywood" production show, magician, followed by another comedian, and "Shout" (another production show). Tuesday was formal night, preceded by the Captain's cocktail party. There were several different drinks served on a tray, but we asked for the drink of our choice and they were cheerfully served. We tipped, of course! Canapes were also served (a nice touch, but only fair).

 

We played bingo and enjoyed the slot tournament. We talked with someone who won $800 and then $150 on the slot machines. The casino was busy, but not overcrowed or overly-smoky - at least during the few times we went.

We enjoyed playing cards in both the card room and on the Lido deck (Thursday, when the weather permitted).

 

We thoroughly enjoyed room service before breakfast each morning (except the last morning). We put out our room service card the evening before and our order was promptly delivered the next morning. The salmon and lox was delicious!

 

Weather-wise we had more rain than expected. It started raining late morning on Monday, rained almost constantly on Tuesday, and had showers and sunshine on Wednesday. It was a beautiful, sunny day on Thursday. Friday morning the weather was OK.

 

We did not take any of the ship's excursions in Catalina or Ensenada. Catalina is a tender port and many people did not get off the ship due to the weather. Surprisingly, it seemed that most people did make it off, despite the stormy conditions. Luckily, we brought our windbreakers and covered shoes, so we decided to brave the elements. We took the trolley around Catalina, mostly due to the weather and to familiarize ourselves with the area. This is a real bargain: $3 for a particular destination or $5 for an all-day pass. During off-season, the trolley only runs on cruise ship days. We took the 35 minute round trip (2 lines) and then got off at the Botanical Gardens, the Casino (Avalon Ballroom) and then the shopping area close to the pier. Two people in our party took the one-hour bus tour of the Island and said it was worthwhile.

 

In Ensenada, we walked around and did a little shopping. My sister-in-law and her friend took the LaBufadora-Wine Tour, which they enjoyed. They liked LaBufadora; said the wine was definitely different than that from California. There is a shuttle close to the ship that takes you to the downtown area ($2 going and $1 to return).

 

Thursday the weather was beautiful, so we were able to enjoy the outside decks during our day at sea. From the Lido deck we also spotted dolphins or whales.

 

Embarcation was long! This did not appear to be the norm, however. The cruise director keep saying that customs was doing a full check of the crew, which resulted in big delays. We did not get off the ship until after 11:00 a.m. We were not in a hurry, so we found comfortable seating and enjoyed conversation and games with our family and friends. It was nice that the coffee bar was still open!

 

All in all, this was a great and fun cruise! I would be happy to answer any questions anyone may have.

 

P.S. April 3 was my husband's birthday. I had the room decorated and ordered a bottle of wine for the cabin. Everything was handled perfectly! I purposely did not order a cake, but spoke to the waiters that evening. They brought my husband's dessert with a candle and sang "happy birthday" to him.

[Cotton]

Thx, it's nice to hear a good review. I enjoyed the Paradise in November. I LOVE Catalina, but have never taken the trolley - always rent goft cart. Beautiful island, isn't it? Sorry to hear debarkation was so long. Must've made it pretty bad for those with early flights out of LAX...?

[topsweeper]

Hi Cotton,

 

Yes, Catalina is a beautiful island. We hope to return again and again! We're not sure if all the people with early flights from LAX made their flights, but we do know that Carnival did allow them off right after the crew check.

[mrsheppo]

Thanks for the great review. We were on the same cruise and really enjoyed it. Our only disappointment was so much rain, but we spent Tuesday playing cards and games in the library. I kinda felt like Kermit the Frog on Tuesday (slightly green). We also took the LaBufadora-Wine tour. Came back to the ship and had lunch and lounged around until evening time. Had a great time at the shows but never went to the casino (after working in one that's the last place you go for fun).

 

We also had our dinner in the Elation dining room - early seating. Our table had 3 people all with birthdays that same week. I ordered the chocolate mousse cake and had it delivered for my husband and he shared with the entire table.

 

Our only complaint was a fellow passenger at our table who never had a good thing to say about the cruise, accomodations and seating. We watched her send back more than dinner because it was not to her liking.

 

We did self debarkation and it was very long. We got in line at about 7:50 am and when we finally reached the front of the line to debark, they held us there. We were held for about 45 minutes. I happened to mention to the cruise director that we had a 10:00 am pickup time, and it was 9:30 am then. He was gracious enough to allow us to debark with those who had early flights. We made it through customs and immigration with 5 minutes to spare before our shuttle arrived.

 

All in all we had a great time and looking forward to booking another cruise next year to either Alaska or Canada/New England.

[topsweeper]

Hi Barbara,

 

I enjoyed reading your comments. It was a fun cruise, wasn't it! We enjoyed our service in the Elation Dining Room. We were at Table 174, a large table for 11, right after the entrance and slightly to the left. We "heard" multiple birthday celebrations around us. Perhaps your table was nearby?

 

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your cruise and looking forward to another!

[itzkaren]

Topsweeper, Cotton and Barbara

 

Thanks for more great info on the Paradise. We're now officially 3 weeks until we sail. We're sailing May 1st, but will drive down the day before.

 

I appreciate the helpful details about the ship.......dining......excursions, etc. We will probably take Cotton's suggestion about golf carts on Catalina and we all (4 couples) want to go to LaBufadora. Can you just go to LaBufadora and skip the wine tour? I'm sure all of those options will be detailed on the ship.

 

Did any of you use the spa during your cruise? Any massages or facials? I know some of the ladies in our group are interested. I'll suggest they go to the spa to book as soon as we board.......since sea days fill up quickly.

 

I'm hoping the rain will just be about DONE on the west coast by the time we go. Wow.......we've had enough of it here in California. We're on a flood watch right now through Thursday.

 

Again.......thanks for the help.......love reading things about the Paradise........the other 3 couples are cruising for the first time, so I want to make sure to pass along all of the helpful tips I can.

 

:)

[southbayer]

Cotton, when was your sailing date back in November ? I sailed Nov 14th, 2005

Thx, it's nice to hear a good review. I enjoyed the Paradise in November. I LOVE Catalina, but have never taken the trolley - always rent goft cart. Beautiful island, isn't it? Sorry to hear debarkation was so long. Must've made it pretty bad for those with early flights out of LAX...?

[topsweeper]

itzkaren,

 

You can just take the LaBufadora tour if you want - either through Carnival or from downtown Ensenada (it's a few dollars less if you do the tour this way). For information on tours, you may wish to check under "Shore Excursions" on the Carnival website - and you can book in advance, if you wish.

 

We did not use the spa during our cruise. I agree that you should book as soon as possible upon boarding. We heard that Thursday (sea day) booked up very quickly on our cruise.

 

Have a great cruise! The weather should be beautiful, too.

[Hawaiianjessica]

I just went on this cruise! It was soooo much fun! This makes me wanna go back! lol

[boom op]

How were the sea conditions?

[Curt Jerome Wild]

topsweeper,

Thank you so much for your review. It sounds like your party had a good cruise despite the rain. What a good attitude. I just wish that you could have enjoyed your balconies a little more:( . (Or who knows with your good attitude maybe you had coffee in the mornings on the balcony in raincoats, which actually sounds like it could be kind of fun now that I think about it:D ).

Anyway, would you mind going to this thread (link below)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=298868

and giving a review of just the cabins?

I'm trying to compile info on the Category 11 Verandah deck Fantasy Class cabins.

I'm looking for what you liked about the cabins, and what people should expect or not expect in order to get the most enjoyment when they book these.

Also (pretty please, pretty please) if you have any pictures could you post those on webshots, and link to them? Especially, the obstructed view from V42, as I don't have a picture of that specifically yet.

If not at least a really good description of how high, how much of an obstruction, etc.

Thank you so much in advance.

And welcome to cruise critic with such a balanced and well written review.

Curt Jerome Wild:cool:

PS Please stay on these boards, as now you can help future cruisers with your information and perspective. I know that there are not of people who have stayed at the Queen Mary for example...

[kkshelton]

One tip about the spa- we booked our spa in the afternoon on Monday and the sea day was already booked up but for some very early and very late times. BUT, we checked back on Wednesday and found that they had openings again for the day at sea. I have heard that cancellations are common- people get caught up in the tour and book then have second thoughts and cancel. So definitely check back if you don't get inl.

[topsweeper]

Boom op,

 

Overall, the sea conditions were pretty good - considering the rainy weather. Monday, the sea was very calm. It was a pretty rocky ride over to Catalina in the tender. Coming back mid-afternoon was a little better. We did have some motion at night, and were gently rocked to sleep on two of the four nights.

[topsweeper]

Hi Curt Jerome Wild,

 

Thank you for your nice comments. You were very helpful to me when I first posted. I'll be glad to respond on your other thread regarding our V18 and V42 cabins. I haven't checked our pictures yet, but I don't believe we took any of just the balconies. My sister and husband were in V42 and I'll check with them also.

 

Balconies are great - we used ours on and off all during the cruise (and sprinkles, too!) and enjoyed coffee and cocktails. We didn't forget our bungee cord (thanks to all the advance tips).

[boom op]

Thanks for the reply on sea conditions. We are on this cruise leaving 4/17.

 

NCL- 1991 3 night Baja

Ecstasy - 2002 4 night Baja

Carnival Pride - 2004 7 night Mexico

Monarch of The Seas - 2004 3 night Baja

Seranade of The Seas - 2005 7 night Alaska

[topsweeper]

Boom op,

 

Hopefully, you will have better weather. Have a wonderful cruise!

[Curt Jerome Wild]

Hi Curt Jerome Wild,Thank you for your nice comments. You were very helpful to me when I first posted. I'll be glad to respond on your other thread regarding our V18 and V42 cabins. I haven't checked our pictures yet, but I don't believe we took any of just the balconies. My sister and husband were in V42 and I'll check with them also.Balconies are great - we used ours on and off all during the cruise (and sprinkles, too!) and enjoyed coffee and cocktails. We didn't forget our bungee cord (thanks to all the advance tips).

LOL topsweeper!

You're right, I went back through posts last night, and now I remember you looking at my pictures:o .

Anyway, I'm so happy that I was able to help in your cruise planning, and that any of my advice and tips helped during the cruise.

I'm glad that you had a good trip.

Thanks to you, everytime it is raining/sprinkling here on the west coast now, I'm imagining sitting on a Verandah deck balcony with coffee.:D

Take your time on a review for my other thread. Whenever you get around to it (and hopefully some pics of V42), I look forward.

Welcome to the Fantasy Class Verandah Deck Club!

CJW:cool:

PS I just made that up, I think I'm going to add that to my signature now...