I've been on a few other Carnival cruises and a couple of other cruises with different lines, but my experience on the Carnival Paradise was the best by far. From our room steward to the food and activities on board, it was a great experience! The Carnival Paradise is in the Fantasy class, so it is an older and smaller ship, but it does not lack in amenities or activities! I actually love this ship size, because it's easier to get around and doesn't feel overcrowded. Our room steward was Robi, who was very friendly and helpful. We didn't need much extras besides a couple of towels and pillows, but he brought them very quickly. The room was also super clean. I've been on other ships where things like the fixtures are dusty/dirty, but that wasn't the case in my room. The cruise director Leon made this the funnest cruise ship to be on. There were SO many fun activities planned! Try to check out everything that Leon is a part of especially, because he is hilarious. We were seated with Oscar in the dining room, and he was also great and provided excellent service. The Punchliner Comedy Club was fun. Kirk Smith, one of the comedians on board, was hilarious. The only con we experienced was in the port itself. We purchased Faster to the Fun, but they didn't have anything marked in the Tampa port, and when we tried to get off, we weren't allowed to bypass the line, so it ended up being a waste. Other than that minor thing, everything else was perfect. Even though it was rainy and overcast most of the trip (which is to be expected this time of year), we had the time of our lives. Read Less

We are a 50's couple. My BF has never cruised before, and this was my 7th cruise, having cruised on Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival. We chose this ship due to time constraints and job issues. We embarked on our adventure a little late. I originally purchased FTTF, but changed my mind. Sure glad I did, because we were on board only about 1/2 hour later than those folks. Embarkation was smooth. We boarded about 1ish....at the back end of our time slot. We headed straight to Guy's for burgers, and they didn't disappoint! We think that those fries were probably the best we ever had! We got to our cabin about 2ish. We had an aft balcony on the empress deck. Our first impression of the cabin was that it was spacious. The only thing that I missed was a sitting/sofa area. Our room steward, Marvin, was the best that I ever had. He was friendly, knew us by name from day one, and always made sure he kept ice in our room. Thanks Marvin! Hope you are enjoying your time off with your family! Dinner that evening was in the buffet, as we wanted to be on deck when we sailed under the bridge in Tampa. It was really cool, and I'm glad that we got to have that experience. Day 1 was a day at sea. We lounged on the deck above the pool. There were plenty of chairs, but I'm guessing it would have been more difficult to obtain a chair closer to the pool. We had room service deliver coffee/pastries that morning, and every other. Delivery was prompt and timely. We ate a late lunch in the buffet, and a little lunch later. Planned for formal night in the dining room. Formal night was very nice. If I remember correctly, we both ate prime rib. We enjoyed our table mates, and even made friends with one of the couples....we hope to get together again. Service was good. The best desserts of the entire cruise were the chocolate lava cake (or whatever it was called) and the creme brulee. Hard to choose which one was better. Day 2 - Honduras. I booked a charter with Roatan Ocean Adventures. It was awesome. Herbert was a wonderful host. We got to experience zip line and snorkeling. Herbert's snorkel guides were the best. They swam with us and pointed out all of the interesting and beautiful wildlife. This adventure took the entire day, and we didn't have any time to shop when we returned to the ship. Dinner in the dining room. Day 3 - Cozumel. I booked a private tour with Tours Plaza. Sergio was our guide. We had a great day. Visited the ruins (small ones on cozumel) did some shopping, and visited the tequila factory. In addition Sergio took us to the other end of the island to see the beautiful coastline and have a snack and cerveza at Coconuts. I would highly recommend this tour! Dinner in the dining room. Day 4 - Sea Day. Another day by the pool and relaxing. Enjoyed dinner again in the dining room. Food and service were good. Unfortunately, we had to pack to go home. We chose to keep our luggage for faster debarkation on Thursday. General comments: Entertainment was good. We loved the rock and roll and the 70's and 80's show. The comedians were good, and we really enjoyed the cruise director....HEY LEON!!! I was a little concerned with the reviews that seemed to be all over the place, but we really enjoyed this cruise. The seas were a little rocky at times, but that is something that is beyond the control of the cruise line. Thanks Carnival! We'll be back! Read Less

We chose this 5 night cruise out of Tampa for 2 reasons: celebrate husband's birthday and stay in Scenic OV cabin positioned on top deck with ceiling to floor windows looking straight out (only 2 rooms of this type on Paradise). The cabin was wonderful; the best we have had on 30 cruises including our cabin on Celebrity Edge which we were on in Dec. Beyond the cabin, this cruise was so much fun. Cruise Director Leon was always seen and involved in all sorts of activities day and night. One night he literally danced on the round bar in the atrium. A couple nights they had good recent movies in the lounge and 2 comedians did shows every night except one night. The nightly shows were really entertaining with great scenery/costumes and the dancers upbeat and in perfect unison. The only negative was the food selection at the buffet was ok but not great so we ended up eating breakfast in the dining room which is something we would rarely do. Meals in the dining room were fine (we are not picky eaters) and we were impressed that the wait staff would ask our names and remember them throughout the dining experience. Just off the new Celebrity Edge we were expecting an experience lower in quality but honestly we had a whole lot more fun on the Paradise (we are in our 60s!!} than we did on the fancy, upscale Edge. If you don't expect 5 Star food this ship delivers in a lot of other ways. Read Less

Been on several 7 day cruises and decided to try short one. Chose the Carnival Paridise for the interesting look of the atrium. Since this ship was recently redone and a smaller ship leaving from Tampa. I was only an hour from the port. Parking garage was just across from the port. Boarding was a easy as Carnival had specific boarding times. Unfortunately dis embarking was a little chaotic with impatient passenger getting in line before their call. I chose check out luggage and at the scheduled time I was off of ship less than 15 minutes Loved the sail away party. The buffet was typical food. Out on deck the guys burgers and the blue iguana tacos tops. The dinning room was cozy and a lot of different items to have. the breakfast buffet had general fare. The seaday brunch was a nice touch. Ordered room service for the continental breakfast, arrived at time requested and it was fresh and warm. Shows were great. The few shops had good buys .The cabin smaller than big ships was very clean and the window big enough to enjoy the outside. Room steward freshen up room daily. I preferred the evening. Towel animals ,cute Carnival Paradise had Staff and crew honored at the dis embarkation program on the last day of cruise. Another thing I liked was the military appreciation show later that day that honored military people on board. Overall I had a great time on the Paradise. Planning to book another cruise Read Less

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Cuba was one of the few places we had not visited in the Caribbean. That was rectified January 2019 on a five night cruise aboard the Paradise which proved to be an excellent overall experience. This ship was easy to navigate and not crowded like larger ships tend to be. Recently refurbished the public spaces and our suite were clean and bright. We had G3, one of two Grand Suites and the views and serenity was fabulous from Deck 14. Only complaint was the back cushion on sofa bed was easily toppled over and still would have loved a coffee maker like Carnival used to have in higher end suites. The food in the main dinning room was above average and offered wide choices. Staff throughout were friendly and helpful. Major drawback was lack of information regarding Cuban Visa procedure pre-cruise in a timely fashion, not detailed to week before and while the $75.00 fee per person was typical, it should have been clearly stated that the charge would be put on your room account. Both embarkation and debarkation were easy and painless. TIPS: Exchange US dollars for Canadian dollars or Euros pre cruise and receive a much better exchange rate at Havana Terminal Exchange. Also much better and personalized old car tours of Havana can be arranged via the internet (highly recommend Old Cars Havana) prior to the ship and was literally 1/3 longer and 1/2 the cost of Carnival offered excursion. Read Less

We chose this cruise for two reasons: we wanted to visit Cuba, and the ship was sailing out of Tampa, a short drive from my home. Just for a point of reference, I've previously taken 20 or so cruises on many cruise lines and am not loyal to any particular line. The first hurdle was getting around construction around the port, but we figured it out and got to our terminal around 10:30. We had purchased FTTF so there was no line to wait in, but the people who were checking us in were a bit confused about new procedures in place having to do with Cuban requirements. At one point there were five associates across the desk trying to get it right. It was okay, just surprising that there was such confusion. We were directed to the FTTF waiting area, and before long we were on the ship, dropping off our incidentals and seeing our cabin. We had an oceanview cabin on Main deck. It was quite small, but functional. I mostly missed surfaces to lay stuff on. The beds were comfortable, the shower provided a strong flow and lots of hot water, and it was quiet around our cabin, so that was fine. Dining was just okay. Some food was delicious, such as the bbq spare ribs, the dinner rolls, the wonderful layer cakes in the buffet, the fresh made to order omelets. Otherwise it was food that was served to me and I didn't have to clean up, so I'll take it! The service in the dining room was quite good. We had anytime dining, and there was generally a little bit of a wait, just enough to have a cocktail in the library or the USA bar. Strangely enough, even during dinner times, there was no service in the USA bar directly adjacent to the Elation dining room. We ended up not participating in many activities. They just didn't interest us. We did not care for the decor of this ship, as it was quite dark and undefined. Also, the flow was not so good. The highlight for sure was the port of Cuba, though there were issues getting off the ship. We had a private tour booked for 10 am, but we did not realize that to get off the ship you first had to go to Deck 9 to get a sticker with a letter on it which determined the place in line to get off. We were not alone, and many people did not get off in time to join their group. This did not apply to tours booked through the ship, but private tours only. My daughter and I had booked through Blexie tours, just the two of us with a guide and a driver (a 1955 Chevy BelAir), partly walking and then driving all over Havana....best tour ever. We did not get off the ship in Cozumel, as we had been here several times. Given an option, I would not necessarily go on this particular ship again, but for the itinerary I would. Read Less

Always wanted to go to Cuba and I prefer the smaller ships and the price was good and right after the holidays I hoped the ship would not be crowded and not too many kids which turned out to be correct on both counts. The dry dock had the ship looking great and the crew was really great. Embarkation was so quick and smooth than any other port I have been at, I was on the ship a little after 11. I was E187 inside room and very nice and never did hear any noise from restaurant above my cabin. Food in main dining room had no taste so much better at buffet which I prefer anyway. I Still have no idea why everyone loves guys burgers but I still can't see the attraction. There was a singer on the ship, Emma Jude, who was very talented and enjoyed listening to all the live music on ship. There were very few announcements from cruise director which I really enjoyed. I spent most of the day on the serenity as wind was less noticeable there. They had tv's at all the bars on national championship game and nfl playoff games and there was crowds at those venues. Departure was also very quick and wish every port was as good as Tampa. Did notice cutbacks on food and salad bar fixings have been really cut back on but I always had plenty to eat. Read Less

This was our 16th cruise overall, and our 4th New Year's Eve cruise aboard Paradise. Embarkation and debarkation in Tampa were a breeze -- we were on the ship by 11:15 am and upon leaving, were off the ship and in our car headed home by 8:15 am. Paradise is one of the smaller, Fantasy Class ships, but they are our favorites: who wants to cruise with 6000+ plus others? Not us!! This was our first trip on Paradise since the dry dock upgrades so we were pleased to have a balcony on Empress deck. I'm not going to lie -- the cabin was tiny, not even an extra chair, but just the stool at the dresser; so if you wanted to sit, you had to sit on the bed. We dined on YTD in the Elation Dining Room -- we never had to wait at all for a table, and the service was excellent. The food variety was a little disappointing, but each selection we tried was prepared well. We did breakfast in the MDR each morning as well. We lunched at various offering throughout Lido deck. My favorite was the Blue Iguana Cantina and spouses' was Guy's. The shows in the theater were OK, although we didn't feel that the two main singers/dancers were really that good. We did enjoy the Amor Cubano show with the live band. The ports were well-known to us. We elected to stay on the ship in Grand Cayman. We had a good time in Cozumel, even though it was our tenth visit there! The crew and staff on Paradise are the friendliest, most helpful we have encountered in our 16 cruises! All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! We love this ship, and have another cruise planned on her for next new year's Eve. Read Less

I went on my first cruise, December of 2018, it was the Carnival Paradise out of Tampa. I highly recommend NOT taking this ship for a cruise - service was great, 90% of the crew members were terrific, but the food, OMG, in my opinion it's low quality and not enjoyable to eat, and every meal I felt like we were just herded through the buffet area like cattle. The restaurant was a little better experience but it's mostly the same food as the buffet. Maybe when you're drunk you don't notice these things, but I'm not a drinker so I guess the food is much more important to me than to most. The ship's entertainment was very good, and getting on and off the ship was okay. Our stops were Roatan (Mohagany Bay) and Cozumel - the island of Roatan is, in my opinion, a crap hole, I've no interest in going back. I personally will never take the Paradise again, and likely will never take Carnival again. Just my two cents. Read Less