Carnival Paradise Review
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I read tons of reviews prior to our cruise so I wasn't sure what to expect. Overall, we had a wonderful experience. One thing I want to say up front for people reading reviews, especially if you've never cruised before is this: the other passengers on a ship will greatly impact your experience and often not a reflection of the cruise line or a particular ship. Now, having said that, I will review our cruise.
Embarkation: The port of Tampa is somewhat chaotic and the employees there are less than friendly...NOT Carnival's fault!! The cops directing traffic were down right rude to some people. Sad commentary on Tampa, not the cruise industry. Once inside, the process went well. We got there later than I hoped so the line was long but moved relatively quickly. EVERY Carnival employee we came in contact with was wonderful! Our rooms were ready when we got on board and our luggage was delivered before departure.
On Board: Our stateroom steward, Antonio, was AMAZING!! He provided excellent service. I asked for an extra pillow and it was there within an hour. My husband asked where he could get ice and Antonio said he would be happy to get it for us. We had fresh ice every day for the remainder of the cruise. The food in the Elation dining room was exceptional, the best I've had on any cruise line! Our waiter, Sergio & his team were wonderful! We had lunch at the buffet or salad bar and found the food to be good. Our only "complaint" related to food was with Pirate Pizza. There was NEVER any pizza ready and the wait was at least 5 minutes every time we tried to get pizza. They would only cook one pizza at a time and since most guests took 2 slices, only 2 people got pizza. Everyone else had to wait another 5, 10, 15 minutes. We didn't see any shows this time so I cannot address those. The shopping on board was typical of cruise ships....jewelry, booze, souvenirs, etc. While not a grand, elegant ship, Paradise is nice, well maintained ship. Our stateroom (R85) was spacious (larger than our last on Royal Caribbean!) and very clean.