This was my fourth cruise, second with Carnival. Overall I had a good time. I felt the cruise was very reasonably priced.

Let's start with my only serious complaint, which is the embarkation process. By far and away this was the worst embarkation I have experienced in the four times I've cruised. On my previous three cruises I've averaged about 50 to 60 minutes from getting the luggage out of the car to walking into my stateroom on the ship. With the Carnival Paradise, the embarkation took two hours and fifteen minutes. It was ridiculous! I would have taken a picture of how long the line is, but "for security reasons" Carnival doesn't want those pictures to exist. Suffice it to say, you are waiting a long time. First you are in a long line for security. You are then corralled into a waiting area, where you wait for 20-30 minutes to get the privilege to stand in the next long line for check-in. The worst part of embarkation is that the Carnival staff at embarkation were not friendly at all. I'm a criminal defense attorney and I see more smiles visiting clients in jail than I saw from the embarkation staff. People were barking out orders as to where you needed to stand. Finally, after all that waiting, they force you to stand in line and wait for other people to take your picture. I told the Carnival employee that I don't want a picture and asked if I cross through, but was told (without an apology) that I had to wait in line and then tell the photographer that I didn't want a picture.

Embarkation aside, my room was comfortable. The rooms there are standard cruise industry rooms. My only minor complaint about the room is that it was too cold and the air conditioner really dries out the air in the cabin. If you go on this cruise, be sure to tell your cabin steward to leave the air conditioner off, otherwise he will turn it on every time he makes your room up. Read more