Our experience on the Carnival Paradise was a wonderful experience. The food was phenominal. The service and attention to detail on the ship was impressive. We had an issue with our suitcases being saturated with red wine from another passenger bag. A few clothes items were affected. Carnival laundered the clothes and reimbursed us for the ones that the stains could not be removed. They made several phone calls to our stateroom to follow up on situation. They owned up to it. The beds and linens were comfy. We were impressed with the size of the staterooms.We are experienced cruisers and this cruise exceeded our expectations, especially cause it was a last minute booking. We requested an earlier dining time and that detail was answered as well the next day. The excursions on this cruise were as we expected with higher rates as Carvival must get their "cut too". In GCM we parasailed. That was fun, BUT, afterwards they took us to a beach and the $10 charge for beach chairs and umbrellas was disappointing. In CZM, we did our own thing. We got off the ship and purchased tickets to Playa Mia Beach REsort (an all inclusive resort). We paid $120 total for 2 including transportation. This was a $85 savings compared to the SAME excursion offered by Carnival. In CZM just head to the toursist info hut at the port and you can get most of the same excursions Carnival offers for alot less.

The entertainment on the ship also exceeded our expectations. Our cruise director as Wee Jimmie, a very jovial Irishman, who is in the perfect line of work. The pools on the ship are very small, but served our purpose. On the serentity deck, it is reserved for adults only. The fitness facility on this ship was roomy and had all equipment in working order. Only thing was the $12 charge for the spin class. The spin bikes for the class were aged and broken and in a sad state. It didnt seem as though the "fitness director"/ spin instructor was certified as the class was barely so so and not worth $12. There is also a charge for Body Sculpt. We cannot speak for this class.

Overall, the experience on this cruise/ship was one I'd recommend to anyone who wants to cruise. The quality of this ship in all aspects, far exceeded our 12 night Middle Eastern cruise that we did on Royal Carribean Vision of the Ses 2 years ago. There are families and kids of all ages on this sailing, bu Carnival does a great job at keeping the kids busy. Night life on ship is there. Karoke was fun. There is a nightclub for adults but we didnt experience it. Overall, the Carnival Paradise is well worth every penny and sailing out of Tampa was so easy and convenient compared to other ports. We will sail out of there again for sure!