Carnival Paradise Review

3.5 / 5.0
989 reviews

Disappointment at almost every turn

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Paradise
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LizD71
6-10 Cruises • Age 70s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Mar 2017
Cabin: Porthole

I chose this cruise as a budget trip for me & a friend. I've never been on Carnival, but have cruised several times on Holland America. About 2 days before the trip, which had planned ports of Grand Cayman & Cozumel, some people received an email the Grand Cayman was out & had been replaced by Costa Maya. I did not receive this notification so I didn't find out until we were on the ship. I spent over 2 hours in line at Guest Services to get new shore excursions booked and when I asked why the change I was told there was a problem with the boat. That was an understatement. Evidently there was something wrong with the stabilizers because this was the roughest ride I've ever been on. Most people had recurrent bouts with seasickness, one elderly woman took an awful fall just trying to walk straight. I have been on many cruises, some in very rough seas in Alaska and the Caribbean. I've never experienced the rough ride of this trip and it was not the weather. The weather was about the only thing that went as expected on this cruise.

The cabin was acceptable and clean, steward was very good. The food was unvaried - same thing every night with one exception. The food was presented well enough, but I didn't plan on 5 days of salmon, chicken, inedible "beef", unless you wanted to kick in an extra $20 for an edible piece of beef! Day 2 we were in Cozumel & had a great time. Day 3 we were supposed to be in Costa Maya - but, we're waiting for the ship to dock and - surprise - No Costa Maya! The Captain said it was "weather", but it was a beautiful day, moderate seas at best. Didn't matter - we were stuck on this lousy ship an extra day.

The pool and adjacent area are awful. People sit around the pool, but no one goes in because it's that nasty. And, there is no "Adult" pool although the staff insists there is and points to a couple of hot tubs in the Serenity area. The ship is so old, the staff cannot keep the public areas, particularly the pool & casual dining areas, clean. The pool area has one Ladies rest room which has 2 stalls. This accommodates hundreds of women? Rest rooms are rare throughout the public areas and rarely have more than 2 stalls. Incredible! To say the ship is dated is being kind. This tub is just stuck in the 80's - you expect to see Saturday Night Fever on their stage - but - I almost forgot, they canceled most of the stage shows! There was no contingency plan for our extra day at sea, no entertainment except in the bar areas - and I will say the bands were pretty good, so was the comic. Overall, this was an awful cruise and I know I will never go on Carnival again and will tell all my friends, and anyone who wants to listen, that you need to pay the extra bucks and go on a different cruise line. They're the cheapest for a reason.

Cabin Review

Porthole

Cabin PT

Cabin was fine, large enough for 2 adults, and well-maintained by our steward.

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