Me and my friend L have been all over the world together (literally) but we had never done a cruise together so for my 40th birthday we decided to cruise to Mexico. It was L's idea and I have to give her props, it was a brilliant one. We decided to splurge and go for the Penthouse Suite and I can tell you, were were not disappointed with the experience. In fact, I may be ruined for life. I know I will never go back to a room without a balcony, just sayin'. The penthouse suite staterooms on the Paradise are really just beautiful. Large, comfortable, and well-appointed with a roomy bathroom, walk-in closet, and large balcony that we used often. We hosted guests a couple of times and had plenty of room in the large sitting area for all to be comfortable. The large L-shaped sofa was really comfy and nice to kick back in while I watched some of the daily videos between activities. We brought two bottles of our own wine so it was a nice touch to have the little bar in the room with wine glasses, very helpful. I would urge you to try the penthouse suite experience at least once in your cruising life. You may not be able to do it all the time but I guarantee you will enjoy and remember it fondly. Particularly, the embarkation experience was stellar. There is a private VIP check-in area where they check you in and give you your sail and sign card. Quick, easy, perfect. I do urge you to drop off your luggage at the porter however, it is worth the couple bucks you have to tip - just pull your car up and drop off your bags.

The public spaces and dining areas were mostly really great. Cruise ship decor always reminds me of Vegas - gaudy, way overdone, and eminently kitschy - I absolutely adore it! Cruising, like Vegas, is a state of mind and if you don't like kitsch, you won't have nearly as much fun so embrace your inner lounge-lizard! That being said, the dining room (we were in Elation) was really quite lovely. The food was really good and I was very happy to see the portions were much smaller than I last remember. I was able to have an appetizer, salad, and entree without feeling like a lioness who had just gorged herself on some serious water buffalo. Thank you to Carnival for doing this! The variety of food was good and I never felt like I was bored. I think I had pork the first night, lobster the second night, pasta the third night, and beef the last night. All very good. Be prepared for the photographers to take your picture several times at dinner, even the first night.

So, what I did not care for was the food at the Paris cafe buffet (breakfast was especially bad) and the food out by the pool on deck. I will say that the pizza was pretty good - light crust so you don't feel like you just ate a ball of dough - and the panini sandwiches from the New York style deli were pretty good. The salad bar was decent and the desserts were tasty, it was just the buffet that I did not like. Also, the midnight buffet was terrible. I remember the last time I went on a cruise it was a very elegant table buffet with carved fruit, ice sculpture, the works. On the Paradise it was just part of the standard buffet in the Paris cafe served cafeteria style. It was so disappointing, I didn't even eat anything. Maybe my expectations were too high, I don't know but I was kinda sad about it and certainly did not take any pictures of it. Oh well, it's not like it ruined the cruise or anything but I wish I had known ahead of time so that's why I'm writing this here. Read more