Question about Carnival Paradise

[Tmg23]

Hello,

 

 

 

My family and I are looking at going on the Paradise on August 18. It would be my mom who is 57, my brother who is 22 and myself. I am 23. We were wondering if anyone would recommend this ship or another ship that is better.This will be our first cruise so we want to make the best of it. We know that it is an older and smaller ship but that's about it. Anything info is welcomed! Thank you so much!

 

 

 

 

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[CheckersMidwest]

Our first cruise was in 2012 in the Paradise. Unintentionally, we started with one of the smallest, to a mid size, and now this summer to the Magic - one of their biggest. I am glad it has gone that way. We picked the Paradise because of it's itinierary and because we wanted to start with a 5 day in case we didn't like it or I had too much trouble with sea sickness. We have considered going on the Paradise again.

 

We loved the Paradise. It was big enough it never felt crowded and yet small enough we always ran into each other at different points during the day.

 

The food was good, the crew was always helpful, and we enjoyed the entertainment. There are several review/posts in my signature for it.

[RedneckRedhead]

Hello,

 

 

 

My family and I are looking at going on the Paradise on August 18. It would be my mom who is 57, my brother who is 22 and myself. I am 23. We were wondering if anyone would recommend this ship or another ship that is better.This will be our first cruise so we want to make the best of it. We know that it is an older and smaller ship but that's about it. Anything info is welcomed! Thank you so much!

 

 

 

 

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Yesterday I was wandering around the halls of Cruise Critic and I stumbled upon the roll call for the 4/28/14 sailing. My husband and I are leaving on the Conquest on 4/27 and a group of work friends on the Paradise on 4/28. I looked in to see what kind of crowd the work friends would be hanging with...

 

To my surprise I left almost sad - this seems like an upbeat great group of Paradise veterans. One person cruised on the Paradise 5 times last year!

 

Check in on that roll call to see some of their great recommendations. I already have the Paradise booked for November 29th - taking the inlaws and all 3 of our young children. I was relieved people liked her even though she isn't all brand new and flashy!

 

I think you'll be impressed by all their information on that roll call. Good luck!

[dd2355]

The Paradise is a fine ship. I really enjoyed my January sailing. Easy to just kick back and relax with a good book and cold drink, or easy to find something to do if you need to be entertained.

 

You might want to explain a bit more what you're looking forward to in a cruise. i.e. you ask if another ship might be "better" but give no hint as to what that might possibly mean.

[SkyMaster]

I'd consider "Paradise" an outstanding ship for a first cruise, or like me, for your 120th cruise. She's big enough to have most everything you'd actually want on a cruise, but not so big that you have to make reservations for everything. Rarely, if ever, feels crowded. She has truly FANTASTIC entertainment, and food and service second to none, IMO. GREAT crew who will go above and beyond to make your cruise experience the best it can be. Go aboard "Paradise" with confidence. NO PROBLEMS!

 

"SKY"

[Tmg23]

Thank you to everyone that has replied! With such positive feedback, I think we will go ahead and book. Thanks again! dd2355, My apologies. We are looking for a ship that has a lot of different activities to do on sea days without feeling crowded. I had read a review saying that there was not much to do on this ship.

 

 

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[Captain Carnival]

Thank you to everyone that has replied! With such positive feedback, I think we will go ahead and book. Thanks again! dd2355, My apologies. We are looking for a ship that has a lot of different activities to do on sea days without feeling crowded. I had read a review saying that there was not much to do on this ship.

 

 

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Just curious as to where you are coming from?

[Tmg23]

Birmingham, Alabama.

 

 

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[dd2355]

I had read a review saying that there was not much to do on this ship.

 

Just remember that stuff is very subjective. How often have you seen a teenager sitting in a room full of games and movies and books whining about being bored because "there's nothing to do!"

 

If you're looking for giant yellow water slides, wave surfer thing, ropes courses, rock walls, etc then no you won't find them on Paradise. Decent shows, shopping, great people watching, mini golf, basketball, scavenger hunts, etc. then there's plenty.

 

Best thing to do if you're concerned is to read reviews of other people's trips on Paradise to see what sort of cool things they did. I really enjoy the Paradise size ships as it's a good mix of stuff to do without ridiculous lines/crowds.

Edited April 16, 2014 by dd2355

[jazm2011]

Paradise was my first cruise experience and I was hooked immediately. It was a long while before I sailed on Paradise again and I was a little concerned that I would think it a lesser ship after having been any so many others. But I have to tell you, it ranks up there as one of my favorite ships!

 

Hope you have a fabulous first experience!!

[Rogueperson]

This is your first cruise, there is really no wrong decision. You don't want to start with the biggest and baddest on your first cruise. Otherwise, you'll spoil yourself for later. Also, the newer, bigger ships have nice bells and whistles, but the meat and core of cruising, is very much alive on this ship. Also, with an older vessel, service many times tries to make up for the lack of novelty on the newer ships.

 

The Paradise is an interesting ship. This was the cruise my fiance and I got together on. No, we didn't meet on the ship, but it was because of this cruise we got together.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the Paradise. My Fiance' got hooked on cruising because of this ship. It was her first cruise.

 

The only "down" side with this ship, is really not the ship, but the length of the cruise. On shorter cruises, less than 5 nights, you may get more of a rowdy party crowd. This seems to be the case across most of the mainstream cruise lines. This ship generally does shorter cruises, so, be forewarned.

[Ms Tee]

I agree with most who have replied already. You will not go wrong with the Paradise. My first cruise was on the sister ship the Inspiration and my second was on Paradise. I thoroughly enjoyed both cruises and I was bitten by the cruise bug on the Fantasy class ship. The service was fabulous and had so much to do for all ages. The itinerary was so nice I did it twice.:p I am from Maryland.

 

Happy Cruising!

[Strmwatch]

Unlike most here, I personally will never sail the Paradise again...ever.

 

Even if Carnival gave me a free cruise on the Paradise I'd turn it down even though the port of Tampa is only 30 mins away from me.

 

I went on her back in November for a friends Wedding in Cozumel...the lines for everything were terrible, smokers smoked where ever they wanted. You couldn't even walk through the casino without smelling like a cigarette.

 

I'm not sure when you were planning on your cruise, but did you look to see if the Legend was sailing from Tampa? They'll be pulling her at the end of the summer and sending her to Australia.

 

The Legend is leaps and bounds above the Paradise.

 

Are you dead set using Tampa as your departure port? You might want to look at New Orleans now that they have the Dream.

 

Yes some people say don't go with the larger/nicer ships for your first time so you don't get spoiled...I say phooey on that. The Dream is an outstanding ship. I'm very sad they decided to move it from port Canaveral to NO though.

Edited April 16, 2014 by Strmwatch

[SkyMaster]

Since you're from Alabama, I can tell you with confidence that you'll LOVE the entertainment, and especially the big show "8 More Seconds". Fantastic show, with lots of good ol' knee slappin' Country Music. The cruise director, Steve Cassel will play the fiddle, and do one of the best renditions of Charlie Daniels "Devil Came Down to Georgia" that you ever heard. ;)

 

"SKY"

[ccruisequeen]

I sailed on her several times before she left Calif and now sail on her sister ships the Imagination and inspiration. I love the size, even though the layout is a bit challenging (you'll have to go up to Lido or down to empress to get from front of ship to rear without interruption- the kitchen is in the way and cuts the ship off between the two MDRS) but you'll learn your way around. I found lots of trivia and activities.

 

[jenanderic]

We just got off the Paradise a few weeks ago. This was our first cruise (DH,DD15,DS11 and me). Everyone enjoyed it, and my DS who complains about everything actually got teary eyed when the wait staff sang their good-bye song. Food, stateroom, entertainment, employees were all fabulous. I would definitely go on her again. Only complaints……elevators often broken and terrible "chair hogs". To me these were small hiccups for a perfect family vacation.

[always_tarty]

We got off the Paradise yesterday and I have to say, we had a fantastic time! I was a little concerned after we booked and then I read some less than flattering reviews of the aging ship, but I can tell you that this was one of our best cruises ever.

 

The ship is a little outdated in décor, and God forbid I did see some rusty spots on the outside railings and even spotted some trash in the stairwell left by obviously ill-mannered guests, but who cares about those little things? The food was great, the entertainment was awesome, the staff was superb. Best of all, there seemed to be virtually no lines for anything. I kept remarking to my H about how uncrowded the ship felt.

 

I think (hope) you have a wonderful time. I would most certainly sail the Paradise again.

[crusinpsychRN]

Unlike most here, I personally will never sail the Paradise again...ever.

 

Even if Carnival gave me a free cruise on the Paradise I'd turn it down even though the port of Tampa is only 30 mins away from me.

 

I went on her back in November for a friends Wedding in Cozumel...the lines for everything were terrible, smokers smoked where ever they wanted. You couldn't even walk through the casino without smelling like a cigarette.

 

I'm not sure when you were planning on your cruise, but did you look to see if the Legend was sailing from Tampa? They'll be pulling her at the end of the summer and sending her to Australia.

 

The Legend is leaps and bounds above the Paradise.

 

Are you dead set using Tampa as your departure port? You might want to look at New Orleans now that they have the Dream.

 

Yes some people say don't go with the larger/nicer ships for your first time so you don't get spoiled...I say phooey on that. The Dream is an outstanding ship. I'm very sad they decided to move it from port Canaveral to NO though.

 

I cruised on Paradise in January and there were only 2 places to smoke--Lido on one side in a very small seciton and 3, count 'em 3 seats at the casino bar which has about 20 seats. All the smokers stand there b/c it's the only place if it's raining. You could smoke if playing in the casino only at certain games.

 

Steve Cassell and his fiddle was a star attraction! Amazing! Having the old shows was much, much better than the new junk being called entertainment.

 

She's missing some of the very minor updates Inspiration has like an update to the Lido pool area so it's not nearly as attractive.

 

If you go to eat at prime times lines can be very long. Hard to get a seat in shows unless you go quite early, like 25 to 30 min. early. Seats in the main lounge cut into the mid back and are the most uncomfortable! Getting there early you can snag some of the curved couches in the back.

 

The door to my cabin wouldn't open without great effort, they tried to fix it but it didn't work. It stuck all cruise long...

Edited April 20, 2014 by crusinpsychRN

[roxyNC]

I was on the Paradise on the March 13th sailing to Cozumel. It was a 4 night, and the shortest cruise that I have taken in years. I have been on the Dream, but three times on the Legend, which I love!

 

I found the Paradise to be okay as far as the decor, but it's definitely older. The staff was great for the most part. I did feel like it was a very smoky ship. I wanted to be in the casino, but the smell was awful! I also liked the bar area outside the casino, but that was another big smoking area.

 

The lido deck was fun, but I was glad my young children weren't around on that cruise. Now that could happen on any ship, but maybe that week being during Spring Break may have contributed to the craziness. The lines were always long on the lido for food, which was annoying.

 

Overall, the cruise was fun, and the ship was easy to get around. It would be a fine first time experience. Personally, I love the Legend, and I like to cruise longer.

 

I think you will enjoy it, and won't miss what they don't have compared to other ships!

[dd2355]

If you go to eat at prime times lines can be very long. Hard to get a seat in shows unless you go quite early, like 25 to 30 min. early.

 

Had to chuckle at this. Sounds like the situation anywhere one might go on vacation or just on a weekend. :D

[mahondi]

Not sure the forum isn't more entertaining than the cruise.;)