We went on our first cruise on the Carnival Paradise a couple of days ago and I gotta say, I am pleased! We are a young family of three, we have a 4 year old and she loved the cruise as well, specially the Camp Carnival, which is basically a daycare for kids of all ages and it is free during the daytime up until 10:00pm, then you pay $6.75 per hour/per kid.

Let me start by saying that we had heard really bad things about Carnival but we loved everything about the ship, the DJ (DJ Select) played great music so you're never bored when you're on deck. My kid wouldn't stop dancing :) The food was great, best thing about the whole trip was the Lido Deck! Food always available and great desserts. After 10:00pm, we enjoyed the casinos, Rex nightclub and the adult comedy shows. Both, Mike Lucas and John Wessling were funny and worth our time :) The only downside to the trip, a) I wish the pools were a little bigger and b) the price of the drinks, they were good though, so you know they don't skim on the alcohol..as far as cleanliness and service goes, we give the cabin stewards and the staff the highest rating we can possibly give them, Shreewaja (I hope I have the name right) was excellent! So sweet and friendly, always with a smile on her face :) Marius in the Destiny dinning room did also provide outstanding service, even when we came in late a couple of times, we were treated like family. I also would like to add Johanna and Leticia at the hair salon and spa, they do great work and accommodate you no matter what your schedule is. Overall, we had a great time and will definitely be cruising with Carnival in the future again. It is a good deal at a great price. We highly recommend it.