Carnival Paradise Review

3.5 / 5.0
989 reviews

Disappointing!

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Paradise
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CruiserLady31
10+ Cruises • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Jan 2020
Cabin: Ocean View

I have been on over 10 cruises using 5 different cruise lines over the years. We were invited on this cruise with a group. I would not have chosen it but, then I thought, how bad could it be? Dining room food was terrible. Cold, fatty, soggy, runny, undercooked, overcooked, sparse, lack luster....you name it! I was shocked at how bad the food was. I even upcharged ($20) for a steak one evening and lobster another evening. It took one hour for my steak to arrive (everyone else at my table had already eaten). Dining room staff was trying to get me to hurry and eat since the second seating was waiting to get in! Lobster was cold and rubbery. Had Eggs Benedict in dining room one morning that was cold with hard yokes. No potatoes added on plate, nothing. Just two eggs on untoasted english muffins with a little hollandaise sauce. So went to the Lido buffet for breakfast the next day to powdered scrambled eggs! I will say that the hamburgers and Mexican food on the Lido deck by the pool was good. Rooms were as expected but the "refrigerators" do NOT cool. Ever. We thought ours was broken but then they corrected us by referring to them as just "coolers", not refrigerators. But they were warm inside, so why have them? My cabin mate's insulin had to be put in an ice bucket with ice changed twice a day. Couldn't even keep our soda's cool. They were warm. Room cleaning service was good but has gotten sparse. Instead of checking/straightening your room twice a day. It is only once a day. So if you shower before dinner, your towels are not replaced. (No more turning down your bed and placing a mint on your pillow.) Embarking was fairly smooth but disembarking was a crowded and disorganized mess. Long lines to get off and get through customs. Tables out by the pool would sit un-bused for hours before a staff member would come and take dishes away. One day we could not find a clean table to sit at so I went searching for a staff member to bus and clean a table so that we could sit down. Some lady dressed in a navy blue suit (looked like a team leader or manager) walked out and picked up one plate and took it away before coming back 10 minutes later to take another plate. We stood there holding our plates in disbelief at her lack of urgency. Finally, another young man came out and took the majority of the dirty dishes and placed them on another table. Once he wiped off the table we finally sat down. He never came back for the other dishes. Another couple walked up with their plates full contemplating where they would sit since all of the tables were still dirty. Out of disgust, I got up and picked up every single dish/glass/wrapper etc on every single table and piled them on one single table. Then I took some napkins and wiped every single table. The couple thanked me but still no one showed up for another 30 minutes to clean that one table. I even watched several staff members walk by but not one of them attempted to clean the table. Overall, I was disappointed at the steep decline of the food and service. The last Carnival cruise I went on was about 6 years ago on the "Elation" and I thought both the food and service was great! But this experience made me feel as if the staff doesn't care anymore!

Cabin Review

Ocean View

What is with the refrigerators? Why even have them?

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