Open Bar on Carnival Paradise! A Pictorial Review:

[DarthGrady]

Background:

 

My friends and I do a guys cruise each year, and for the last five years it has been on Carnival. This year the group decided to do the Carnival Paradise out of Tampa. We’re part of a larger group that had a contract for the old corporate open-bar package. It is different from the Cheers program in that it isn’t capped at 15 drinks per day, which would not be enough for our group of professional partiers.

 

Unfortunately Carnival, in their infinite wisdom, has chosen to rescind our package in an attempt to get us all into Cheers. So this may very well be my last Carnival review for a while, as our group will be heading to Royal Caribbean next year. It’s disappointing, since Carnival’s party scene is better. But we’d end up having to smuggle booze onboard an “open bar” cruise which is ridiculous. Royal’s drink packages are unlimited, so it’s really a no-brainer.

 

We did get one last romp on Carnival though, and it was a blast.

 

Embarkation:

 

This cruise departed on 9/25/14, and we drove down the morning of. We parked off site at The Parking Doctors, which is only a few blocks from the terminal. Check in went very quickly. My roommate and I went to the VIP area, but the rest of our group was done at the same time we were. We were all on the ship within about twenty minutes of arriving at the terminal.

 

The Ship:

 

My last cruise on the Paradise was back in 2008 when she was doing sailings out of Long Beach. The ship looked about the same as it did the last time I saw her. As usual, everything was clean and well kept. Since Paradise is the newest of the class, her décor is a little more modern than her sisters.

 

It was so nice to be back on a Fantasy Class ship still mostly in original configuration. The Rex nightclub has not been chopped in half to make way for a useless conference room. The aft pool hasn’t been eliminated in favor of the Waterworks, which makes the main pool a lot less crowded. She does have the adults-only Serenity area installed, but I never went there on this cruise. The one downside to an un-renovated Fantasy Class ship is that the cabins are now 15 years old. They still have the old CRT televisions and lifejacket boxes in the corner.

 

Food and Service:

 

We ate in the dining room for the brunch on the two sea days, and also in the dining room for dinner each night. The food was great overall, and our serving team was excellent. I only ate in the buffet twice, but the food was decent both times.

 

Unlike our experience on the Destiny a few years ago, bar service could not have been better. Most of the bar staff was friendly and kept us well stocked with fresh drinks. Not always an easy task when we started at noonish, and didn’t stop until around three in the morning.

 

Daily Activities:

 

Our first afternoon onboard was spent around the pool bar enjoying beverages and music. We stopped by the Taste Bar for snacks, followed by pre-dinner drinks in the atrium. After dinner it was time for a visit to the piano bar, which is very nicely decorated on the Paradise. The rest of the night was spent in the Rex dance club; we stayed until around 3 in the morning. After the club let out we hung out on the back patio of the buffet eating pizza and finishing our drinks.

 

My next three days went along the same general schedule since I didn’t bother debarking in Cozumel. I woke up around 11 am, after getting about six hours of sleep. On the two sea days we ate in the MDR for brunch, on Cozumel day we ate at the buffet. A trip to the gym was called for to help eliminate excess calories and toxins. After the gymnasium we spent the rest of the afternoon partying around the pool. The sheer volume of beer and shots consumed was absolutely obscene.

 

With the exception of the port day, we spent some time lounging around on the promenade creating stacks of Taste Bar plates. Then, without fail, we would meet at the Lobby Bar for pre-dinner drinks. After dinner it was again time for our merry band of idiots to descend upon the piano bar for the sing along. The rest of the evenings were spent in the spacious, unmodified Rex.

 

Conclusion:

 

Debarkation went fairly quickly, especially for being at Tampa. We were to the car and back on the interstate within an hour of leaving our cabin.

 

I hope that Carnival will someday eliminate the fifteen-drink cap on their Cheers program so that we can return. It really should be left up to the bar staff to decide whether a guest has had “too much”. My friends and I drank all day and all night, but never caused any problems. No one got out of control, just good solid buzzes all around. Their blanket cap seems to be more for profit protection than for the good of the passengers.

 

I’m going to miss my annual visit to Carnival and my beloved Fantasy Class ships. My first CCL cruise was on Sensation, and I’ve had more cruises on Fantasy Class ships than any other by a wide margin. So they’ve always felt like home to me. Next year will be on the Enchantment of the Seas, a ship I also know very well, but it just won’t be quite the same.

 

This annual guy’s cruise goes by much too fast. By the last morning I’m usually very tired. Four days of fourteen-hour benders will cause this sensation. But I’m still always sad to see it end!

 

I took a few pictures that I'll be posting up, feel free to ask any questions or leave comments.

[Orison]

Well, my up and down arrow just got a workout. I just came in for the pictures. ;)

[DarthGrady]

Arrival at the terminal

 

First stop was our retro cabin to drop the luggage

 

 

 

 

[DarthGrady]

Florida Cracker Wheat Ale, fresh from Tampa, is a very decent wheat beer for those into that sort of thing. I know I sure am. They are now serving it onboard which is a nice touch.

 

 

The keys to the kingdom

 

The Skyway

 

 

[DarthGrady]

From the Taste Bar:

 

It's nice that Carnival still does turn down service, I miss the little chocolates on RCI

 

 

The Vision of the Seas parked next to us in Cozumel, I had a great 10 night cruise on her back in 2012

 

The Carnival Victory, heading into to Cozumel

 

The new pier is well underway, Carnival will soon have double its current capacity at Cozumel

[DarthGrady]

The America Piano Bar

 

 

The ship's library

 

 

One of the two main dining rooms

 

The table in the foreground was ours, we were right at the entrance. Probably not the best idea, as we became the unofficial welcoming committee.

[DarthGrady]

The main theater

 

 

 

The lobby area

 

 

[PH8]

As always I enjoy reading your reviews and seeing your pics..........keep them coming!:D

[SMSACE6]

I have always enjoyed your reviews, and also those you do on other cruiselines. But I am sorry that I wont see any Carnival reviews from you again, or at least for a long time. Still I am enjoying this one, and I have for a long time wanted to do a cruise on the Paradise, especially because it is out of Tampa. Thanks for your review:)

[cruzn buckeye]

love the pics... Paradise looks pretty nice...haven't been on her yet...

Where is the new Cozumel pier that Carnival is building/

Edited October 6, 2014 by cruzn buckeye

[funinthesun1964]

You didn't get chocolates with the turndown service? We always get the chocolates :confused:

[kwazi07]

Love the review! Keep it coming! Paradise was my first cruise so this brings back memories. I remember having tea in the piano bar.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[DarthGrady]

love the pics... Paradise looks pretty nice...haven't been on her yet...

Where is the new Cozumel pier that Carnival is building/

It's actually an extension to the existing pier that Carnival uses. The new pier will be parallel to the existing one, but a few hundred feet further out. It will tie in right where the current pier turns.

 

I have always enjoyed your reviews, and also those you do on other cruiselines. But I am sorry that I wont see any Carnival reviews from you again, or at least for a long time. Still I am enjoying this one, and I have for a long time wanted to do a cruise on the Paradise, especially because it is out of Tampa. Thanks for your review:)

 

Thanks! I always enjoy doing them.

[DarthGrady]

You didn't get chocolates with the turndown service? We always get the chocolates :confused:

Yes, we did. I was referring to Royal not giving them out each night. Sorry for the confusion.

[DarthGrady]

Shots along the promenade, a keen eye will notice that the Casino Bar on the promenade is bigger on Paradise than the older Fantasy Class ships. This is a nice feature, as that bar gets crowded in the evenings.

 

 

 

 

The coffee bar on the promenade

 

The ship's casino

[funinthesun1964]

Yes, we did. I was referring to Royal not giving them out each night. Sorry for the confusion.

 

oh, ok. Thanks for clarifying. You had me scared.... I thought there might be more cutbacks :eek: DH loves those chocolates and eats both of them every night :rolleyes:

[RoderickIII]

Just have to 'ditto' the comments on the pictures. They are very nice. Went on the Paradise July 2012.

[DarthGrady]

The Rex dance club

 

 

This area has been walled off and made into a useless conference room on some of the Fantasy Class ships. As you can see, that reduces the square footage of the often-packed nightclub by about half.

 

The aft lounge, with stairs down to the aft main dining room. It's a great place to meet for a pre-dinner drink for those with that dining room.

 

The Queen Mary aft theater, this is where they usually have the comedy club each night. Definitely the most tastefully decorated aft lounge of any of the Fantasy Class ships. Most are very dark and gaudy.

 

Edited October 7, 2014 by DarthGrady

[DarthGrady]

And moving upstairs, the lido deck buffet

 

 

The mini-golf course

 

The main pool deck, complete with original slide

 

Although it does appear that they made a minor modification, the water slide's staircase was changed from a regular ramp-style to a spiral at some point since 2008. Looking back at my old pics (this one is not mine), it was still the old stairs during my last cruise on her.

Edited October 7, 2014 by DarthGrady

[DarthGrady]

That's it folks, sorry it was a short one this time. The whole thing just flew right by, as these party cruises tend to do.

 

Hopefully Carnival re-thinks it's Cheers program limitations so we can come back. We definitely would. As much as I enjoy doing my tamer, PG-13 cruises on RCI; Carnival does R-rated better than anyone else! :D;):D;)

[theprodigy002]

Nice pictures man. Just curious, how old are you? Im 22 and I am going in January (with my twin brother) , just wondering what kind of crowd is on these ships? I have no interest in talking to anyone younger than 18 or much older than 25-26. I am a heavy drinker so I too am concerned about reaching my 15 drink limit each day, but it is what it is. Its definetely profit protecting, but with the new lower costs only 37.50 a day (for 7day+ cruises) I think up to 15 drinks is pretty fair.

 

Also, do they server Caesars on board? Thanks!

[DarthGrady]

Nice pictures man. Just curious, how old are you? Im 22 and I am going in January (with my twin brother) , just wondering what kind of crowd is on these ships? I have no interest in talking to anyone younger than 18 or much older than 25-26. I am a heavy drinker so I too am concerned about reaching my 15 drink limit each day, but it is what it is. Its definetely profit protecting, but with the new lower costs only 37.50 a day (for 7day+ cruises) I think up to 15 drinks is pretty fair.

 

Also, do they server Caesars on board? Thanks!

 

I turned 32 on this cruise, it was a very happy birthday.

 

Generally Carnival attracts the younger crowds, with the weekend cruises being the youngest of that.

 

There was a pretty broad range of ages in the club each night, from early twenties all the way up to older folks. I don't think you'll have any issues finding folks in the age range you're looking for. The after party is usually in the buffet, since that's the only place serving food at 3 am.

 

As far as the 15 a day cap, I'm right there with you. After several beers by the pool, a couple before and after dinner, the piano bar, and then the club, I easily did 15 a day and only kept a good solid buzz the whole time.

 

I'm not sure about the Caesar, I've never tried to get one. I take it that they are somewhat similar to a Bloody Mary? They do serve those on board, they even have a Bloody Mary bar outside the brunch at the main dining room on sea days. That might be your best bet if the regular bars don't have the ingredients.

Edited October 7, 2014 by DarthGrady

[falkcor]

Grady! Been missing you and your infinite wisdom around here, glad you enjoyed another guys booze cruise! And missing the trip reports and pics too of course ;)

 

sad to hear you are being shown the door for that reason... And because I always wanted to come along one of these years! :)

 

anyhow enjoyed the review and your annual post over here hehe. Rock on.

[DarthGrady]

Grady! Been missing you and your infinite wisdom around here, glad you enjoyed another guys booze cruise! And missing the trip reports and pics too of course ;)

 

sad to hear you are being shown the door for that reason... And because I always wanted to come along one of these years! :)

 

anyhow enjoyed the review and your annual post over here hehe. Rock on.

 

Hi Mark, glad to be back, even for a little while! I'm certainly sad about how it all went down as well.

 

It really doesn't make much sense on Carnival's part. Even with unrestricted open bar they were still making money off our group. Especially considering how cheap they get their booze, and how high they mark it up. Now they're losing us altogether, such a shame.

 

I'll still be lurking around the forum though, gotta keep up on the good gossip! :D

Edited October 7, 2014 by DarthGrady

[falkcor]

Hi Mark, glad to be back, even for a little while! I'm certainly sad about how it all went down as well.

 

It really doesn't make much sense on Carnival's part. Even with unrestricted open bar they were still making money off our group. Especially considering how cheap they get their booze, and how high they mark it up. Now they're losing us altogether, such a shame.

 

I'll still be lurking around the forum though, gotta keep up on the good gossip! :D

 

I'm with ya man...

 

the cheers program is structured pretty poorly. It recognizes no difference between a long island iced tea vs a 16 oz beer vs a fosters vs a weak umbrella drink. That's stupid.

 

but even more stupid I think is the 15 drink max. Make it unlimited like literally every other cruise line... That fails to take into account the difference between a 110 lb woman who drinks once a year vs a 300 lb man who drinks every day.... It's not an 'equal value proposition'

 

if nothing else, at least as you stated leave the cutoff discretion with the bar staff, even if you have to purchase drinks after the 15... Albeit not as 'unlimited' as every other line, at least it doesn't threaten being grounded and 'go to your room' if you hit the cutoff lol.

 

anyhow, so long as you're lurking feel free to pipe in every once in a while... Lord knows there are plenty of lurkers that only sail other lines that do anymore :rolleyes: