My wife booked this cruise at the last minute because the price was in our budget. We have cruised before and have always enjoyed them, no matter the destination. I'm not sure what others think about the Paradise but knowing that it was a smaller ship than others we've been on, it did not disappoint us. The food was always hot and great tasting. Yes, we had to wait in line for just about any station for breakfast or lunch, but you have to wait in line at other places. Only one small complaint or issue I had was with the scrambled eggs at the buffet at breakfast. The eggs were not completely done, which I wish they had been and a reason why I would wait in line for a custom omelette.
The shows are awesome and fun to watch and the energy of the cruise director was very nice and different from others. I really enjoyed when he played the fiddle during one of the shows, wow can he play! The dancers were very talented and the shows are amazing. How can they do two shows each night shows their talent and dedication.
The piano bar was one of my favorites, I wish I could remember the piano players full name. (Maybe someone could respond with a review with his name so I can find him on facebook or pinterest) I know his first name was Mark. The part I enjoyed the most was the interaction with the members of the people in the bar and sitting around the piano. If you wanted to sing, he would let you take the mic and sing. My wife sang one of the songs as well as another talented young lady who sang a few songs during that last Friday night of the cruise. One of the other nights an older lady sang a few songs as well, and boy could she sing too! Not too many people in the bar, which I like because it made the evening more enjoyable and intimate.
I don't expect much room and just need a place to sleep so I am easily satisfied. I had no problems with our room on the Empress deck. The AC was cold the first night which we corrected that morning by turning it down. The shower was a bit tricky initially to set the right temperature. You definitely need to turn the cold on first like it suggests before you turn on the hot. You don't need a lot of hot as it will get hot real quick! The cold water pressure could have been a bit more to offset the hot water too. The wife and I had plenty of room during the 5 night cruise even with the twin beds combined to form one bed. I like a hard bed which I was not disappointed. I do wish I would have brought my own pillow as I am spoiled when it comes to other forms of pillows. I made due because when you are tired it doesn't take much to fall asleep. I was not disappointed in my room as it was clean and kept clean daily. We had plenty of room for our clothes in the supplied closets.