Thoughts on Paradise 12-12-19 4-Night Sailing

[NCTribeFan]

I hadn't really planned on taking this cruise.  As I've said lately, I'm pretty burned out with Carnival (although I have a B2B on Legend Med/TA next October plus Breeze in Jan 2021 booked).  After 30 Carnival cruises, I'm just tired of the same old-same old.  But, since I was heading back to the Gulf Coast to continue my search for somewhere to retire (mostly just for proximity to cruise ports!), I thought "hey, I haven't sailed from Tampa since my first 2 cruises (Jubilee 2001 & Empress 2003), so since I'll be in the neighborhood, why not?"

 

I flew SW to Tampa on Monday afternoon, picked up my rental car, and stayed at a La Quinta in Brandon.  Some common areas looked run down, but I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the room and the price was right (just <$100).  Lots of shopping and dining nearby.  Up fairly early the next morning and drove to my next stop, the HIE in Punta Gorda.  Really like this location.  I stayed there for a couple of nights in August.  Close to I-75 and the Punta Gorda airport (where you can get some cheap flights on Allegiant).  I went to look at a couple of places, then just hung out at the hotel.  Drove to Fishermen's Village for dinner and a beer.  Had lunch the next day with a friend I met on my MSC Divina cruise last December, then headed back up to Tampa.  Spent that night at the Best Western on Dale Mabry.  Not a particularly nice hotel.   Looked old, carpet very worn, but by the time I'd started looking for a pre-cruise hotel, they were either booked & the remaining choices were either around $100 or over $200.  Nothing in the vicinity in between, so I figured I'd opt for the low end.  I can pretty much deal with anything for one night.  The room itself seemed clean enough, and that's what really matters to me.  Walked around the corner to BoneFish Grill for a bite to eat and a beer.  Next morning, I took my rental car back to the airport and called for Uber pickup to the pier.  Cost was $18.17.

 

I was probably at Pier #3 before 10:30.  Dropped my check-in bag with a porter, went straight into the terminal, through security, to the check-in counter, then had a seat in the VIP area.  There was a huge group of AAA travel agents who were touring the ship, so when we were ready to start boarding, they all boarded first (at about 11:15).  I think there were about 5 Diamond people in the seating area, so once the guy called Diamond, I got up started toward the front, and before I was halfway there, he called Platinum.  So, of course, the mob just jumped up and cut me off.  So much for boarding first!  BUT I'M SPECIAL!!!  ISN'T THAT OBVIOUS?  GET OUT OF MY WAY!!  I actually said something to that affect and really ticked off the guy in front of me.  I had to tell him that I WAS JOKING!  CHILL!  Sheesh.

 

So, onto the ship, was told to go up to Lido; told the young woman that I was going to drop my carry-on in the cabin and she again told me, no, I was to go to Lido.  I showed her my sparkly white Diamond card and told her I was going to my cabin.  She told me cabins weren't ready until 1:30 but we had been told in the terminal that YES we could go directly to our cabins after boarding.  Dontcha wish everyone was on the same page with this?  Anyway, I did go to my cabin.  That bottle of wine gets heavy!  I had booked E183, my favorite 1A cabin on Fantasy-class ships.  Unfortunately, on Paradise, you do NOT have access to the "secret" stairs aft like you do on Fantasy.  Oh well.  Not a big deal.  I do love these little cabins when sailing solo.  I was surprised to discover a mini-fridge although it didn't seem to be any cooler than it was in the cabin!  Honestly think my wine would've been more chilled if I'd left it on the vanity!  It was pretty obvious to me that Paradise had had upgrades in the not-too-distant past.  The cabin and the common areas looked to be in very good condition.  Bear in mind that my last 2 Fantasy-class sailings were on Ecstasy, which looked run down and dated.  I do love the Fantasy-class ships, though, and was pleased to add another to my list (that makes 5 of them for a total of 67 nights).

 

I think I had a taco salad for lunch, then went to the casino bar at noon for Happy Hour.  I had a Tropical Mule, which I like because they use the same Ginger Beer I buy to make my Dark-and-Stormy at home.  I typically don't drink much hard liquor.  Prefer my beer or wine.  Went to the library and managed to find something to read.  Such a shame that there are so few books available.  I always bring a couple and leave what I've read for someone else.

 

Later, I got a Thirsty Frog and grabbed a seat near Guy's since I had Muster Station F, which is all around the Lido pool.  First in line for when they reopened Guy's after muster drill and got a pile of fries, topped with bacon crumbles and chipotle mayo, then joined the crowd to get another Thirsty Frog.

 

[NCTribeFan]

Too bad it was cloudy because I would've liked to have been outside when we went under the bridge and to see the full moon.  Not to be.

 

Had Anytime Dining.  When I went and showed my card, I was escorted past the long line up to the desk.  I could get used to this Diamond thing!  Ate alone (which I quite enjoy; gives one a chance to observe just how hard the staff works).  Dinner not terribly memorable, I guess.  No idea what I had.  Again, rather bored with the menu.  As always, some nights I could eat half the dishes offered; other nights, nothing is particularly appealing.

 

First sea day had rain on-and-off, which means, unfortunately, most of the pax are forced indoors, making everywhere feel crowded and oh so noisy.  It's virtually impossible to find anywhere even semi-quiet on Carnival ships.  And most areas were very cold.  I wanted to go to brunch, but had an early omelet for breakfast since I had an invitation to the Diamond get-together at 11.  There were about 16 guests there.  We were treated to tasty bites to eat and whatever we wanted to order to drink (I had a couple of Bellinis).  It was nice to chat with the passengers and department heads.  The Captain came around with a photographer.  Photo arrived in my cabin a couple of days later.  I hadn't slept well the first night (unusual for me in my nice, dark inside cabin) so I spent most of the afternoon in the cabin.  Had a nap, read, watched some telly.  I'd left a bag of laundry when I'd unpacked (rarely do except I packed light and had worn most items during my pre-cruise days) and it was returned that afternoon. 

 

Had to wait for a table for Elegant night, but not long.  The delightful Agnes (junior hostess) took excellent care of me.  I liked the area and wait staff so told her I'd like to be seated there the rest of the cruise and would probably arrive around 7:30.  Sure enough, my table was waiting the next two nights, which is not something I expected with Anytime dining!    I actually did quite well that night in the casino.  Took the $50 the Players Club gave me and turned it into $180 at the Roulette wheel!  Of course, I gave it all back eventually, but I did come home with some of my casino allowance unspent, so that's a Win to me! 😁

 

Next day we were in Cozumel.  Prior to Sunshine in October, I'd sailed MSC 3 consecutive times and we stopped in Coz all 3 times but were at the downtown pier.  I had nothing I wanted to do, so I stayed on the ship in the morning and sat on the Serenity deck.  I even got in the hot tub for a bit, which is something I rarely do.  Personally don't know how people can stay in there for as long as they do.  I just feel like I'm being parboiled after about 10 minutes!  So I changed, got off the ship and wandered around.  I'm not much of a shopper, but I did buy a bottle of vanilla and some hot sauce for stocking stuffers.  Then I sat overlooking the water and piers, and had a couple of blue margaritas, then just headed back to the ship.  Valor was there before us and Sensation arrived around noon.  Turned out I had friends from the Divina sailing that were there the day before on HAL's Nieuw Statendam.  Would've been fun to have been there on the same day!

 

That night at dinner, nothing really appealed to me, but I ordered the pasta dish and requested the grilled chicken breast on top, and got exactly that.  Sauce was heavy, though, and I was uncomfortable all night.  I'm just not used to eating a lot of restaurant food and it never really agrees with me although I enjoy it at the time!

 

Second sea day was better weather.  I had a couple of skin cancers removed from my face this summer so I'm being very conscientious about staying out of the sun so sat and read in various spots.  Had brunch.  Ordered the Voyage burger but got the Aft Deck.  Ate it anyway and enjoyed it.  Played the slots a little.  Packed most of my stuff.  No idea what I had for dinner.  Went to Epic Rock and remembered that I hadn't enjoyed it that much when I'd seen it before!  Performances were OK. Back to the cabin to finish packing and put my bag out.  Since I had a 5:30 flight, I was certainly in no hurry to disembark, so I'd picked up a #20 tag to use instead of my usual #1.  Some day I'm going to sell the pile of #1 tags I've accumulated on EBay! 🤣

[NCTribeFan]

Up for my last breakfast (burrito this time), sat and read and had a couple of cups of tea.  Agnes found me and we chatted for a while.  Went down and got my carry-on bags and went back up to Lido and finished my 2nd book.  Finally forced to leave just after 10.

 

I had purchased a ticket to the Aquarium to kill some time rather than spend hours and hours sitting in the airport.  Hauled my bags around the block, showed my online ticket, and gave my bags to the young woman.  Wandered around, had some lunch and a beer outside, then did another pass through the entire place.  Finally retrieved my bags, went outside, and requested an Uber to the airport (only $12.35 since there was a promo).

 

Sat and read some more, had a sandwich and beer, then onto the plane.  Used a SW drink coupon for some white wine on the way home.  Retrieved my bag, called for Uber (another discounted ride), and I was home just after 8 pm.

 

Spent Tuesday and Wednesday at tax conferences.  Ugh.  I'll do a 2-hour online course on 12/26 and have my 40 hours for the year.

 

Still haven't done my laundry!  Got up early today, did some grocery shopping and had to settle for a gift card to give DD for Christmas.  No way am I fighting  the mobs to shop!

[NCTribeFan]

I do love the Fantasy-class ships.  Realized after I got home that I didn't even explore Paradise completely.  I should've seen if I could get a look at the new cabins on "Grand" deck.  The couple I sat with at the Diamond party were in one of the 6Bs and she showed me some photos.  Those floor-to-ceiling windows look nice!  I didn't  know there was a bocce court!  Obviously, I hadn't looked at the deck plans very closely and had just assumed she was basically identical to every other Fantasy-class ships I'd sailed.

 

The ship didn't feel terribly crowded except on that first sea day when the weather didn't cooperate, so I don't think she was sold out.

 

Having said that, I've sailed several times in mid-December and really enjoyed it.  The prices are decent, the ships not packed since it's between holidays and kids aren't out of school yet.

 

BUT, there were SO MANY KIDS!!!  Was it because it was a 4-night sailing over a weekend?  I mean, there were LOTS of kids.  And none of them seemed to be in the kids programs.  There were just mobs of kids everywhere and mostly out-of-control.  Sometimes the parents were just letting them run wild.  Other times the parents were nowhere in sight.

 

Ugh.   Why weren't they in school?

 

I'm afraid I've just "outgrown" the Carnival demographic.  I don't want to sail with a bunch of kids.  I don't want to sail with a bunch of new cruisers who have no manners.  People talk about the people on MSC haven't no manners but, imho, this crowd was much worse.  Sailing with passengers from different parts of the world with a different cultures, I expect that people will behave differently.  But the lack of basic manners was much too in evidence on this sailing.  Folks!  When you're walking along a crowded area, don't just suddenly come to a dead stop!  And worse, if you're carrying food, don't make a sudden U-turn without at least glancing over your shoulder to see if you're about to cause a pile up!

 

And FFS, if you don't know how to eat at a dinner table, I'm sure you can find something on You Tube to show you the basics!  You don't continually wipe your mouth and then put your napkin on the table!  You don't hold your fork/spoon like a shovel.  And you don't wear baseball caps to dinner AT ANY TIME, especially not on Elegant night.  Hey, my parents were from the NC mountains.  We never ate out.  We didn't have multiple courses for our meals.  But somehow, at some point in my life, I learned some table manners. If you don't know how to act, try OBSERVATION!  See what others do.  You're in public.  Unless you were raised in a barn, try to behave like you're a civilized human being.

 

And TURN DOWN THE VOLUME!  Not everyone on the planet needs or wants to hear every word that you say.  You aren't that important.  STOP YELLING!

 

Am I just an old grouch?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  I just like a slightly more restrained cruise experience.  Hey, I like to participate in the silliness on board at times.  I like to drink and dance.  But constantly encountering loud and obnoxious and inconsiderate and impolite passengers just takes all the fun out of it for me.

[SMSACE6]

Thanks for the review!  I have only been on one fantasy class ship, the Sensation, and would have no problem sailing on one again, but I do prefer the longer cruises.  On the last paragraph, I hear you!  I feel much the same way.  And, am I just an old grouch?  Heck no...LOL.  But really, for the same reasons as you say, when I do ever get to cruise again, I will also be looking for a more restrained cruise experience.  Thanks again, enjoyed your review very much.

 

[Jamman54]

Thanks for the review. We sailed on the Paradise right after she was updated and loved her. We love sailing on the Fantasy Class ships from time to time, and have sailed on 7 of the 8 sisters. Only one we haven't sailed on yet is the  Imagination.😎

[lottiegreen56]

Great perspective from a fellow gambler! I definitely agree with some of your critiques, Carnival is toeing a thin line that they’ve created as far as experience is concerned. While the lack of manners and etiquette  don’t really bother me, it does bother me that they don’t enforce the rules that they have and then are trying to add more rules about offensive clothing. Our casino offers are getting really good again from Royal so we’ll see how 2020 treats us. Good luck searching for another home! We were in Reddingtin Beach last month and really liked it.

[pirate4me2]

Thanks for the review, I can’t wait to sail Paradise in a few weeks.

 

Im not an old grouch, just my early 30s, but I agree with your last paragraph. I’m really excited to see how MSC compares to Carnival in September!

[PhillyFan33579]

10 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

I do love the Fantasy-class ships.  Realized after I got home that I didn't even explore Paradise completely.  I should've seen if I could get a look at the new cabins on "Grand" deck.  The couple I sat with at the Diamond party were in one of the 6Bs and she showed me some photos.  Those floor-to-ceiling windows look nice!  I didn't  know there was a bocce court!  Obviously, I hadn't looked at the deck plans very closely and had just assumed she was basically identical to every other Fantasy-class ships I'd sailed.

 

The ship didn't feel terribly crowded except on that first sea day when the weather didn't cooperate, so I don't think she was sold out.

 

Having said that, I've sailed several times in mid-December and really enjoyed it.  The prices are decent, the ships not packed since it's between holidays and kids aren't out of school yet.

 

BUT, there were SO MANY KIDS!!!  Was it because it was a 4-night sailing over a weekend?  I mean, there were LOTS of kids.  And none of them seemed to be in the kids programs.  There were just mobs of kids everywhere and mostly out-of-control.  Sometimes the parents were just letting them run wild.  Other times the parents were nowhere in sight.

 

Ugh.   Why weren't they in school?

 

I'm afraid I've just "outgrown" the Carnival demographic.  I don't want to sail with a bunch of kids.  I don't want to sail with a bunch of new cruisers who have no manners.  People talk about the people on MSC haven't no manners but, imho, this crowd was much worse.  Sailing with passengers from different parts of the world with a different cultures, I expect that people will behave differently.  But the lack of basic manners was much too in evidence on this sailing.  Folks!  When you're walking along a crowded area, don't just suddenly come to a dead stop!  And worse, if you're carrying food, don't make a sudden U-turn without at least glancing over your shoulder to see if you're about to cause a pile up!

 

And FFS, if you don't know how to eat at a dinner table, I'm sure you can find something on You Tube to show you the basics!  You don't continually wipe your mouth and then put your napkin on the table!  You don't hold your fork/spoon like a shovel.  And you don't wear baseball caps to dinner AT ANY TIME, especially not on Elegant night.  Hey, my parents were from the NC mountains.  We never ate out.  We didn't have multiple courses for our meals.  But somehow, at some point in my life, I learned some table manners. If you don't know how to act, try OBSERVATION!  See what others do.  You're in public.  Unless you were raised in a barn, try to behave like you're a civilized human being.

 

And TURN DOWN THE VOLUME!  Not everyone on the planet needs or wants to hear every word that you say.  You aren't that important.  STOP YELLING!

 

Am I just an old grouch?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  I just like a slightly more restrained cruise experience.  Hey, I like to participate in the silliness on board at times.  I like to drink and dance.  But constantly encountering loud and obnoxious and inconsiderate and impolite passengers just takes all the fun out of it for me.

Enjoyed reading your review. Paradise was my first cruise ever so she will always be memorable to me. I don’t think you are an old grouch at all. Both my wife and I, plus a couple we cruise with frequently, all agree the demographics of passengers on Carnival ships has changed for the worse over the last several years. 

[grima625]

Thanks for the review.  I enjoy sailing out of Tampa since it's about a 30 minute drive from home.

[havanadaydreaming]

We board Paradise 12/26- and are expecting lots of kiddos. 

 

We are sailing with 4 adult children (19-23) ourselves, our last hurrah for a family trip!  

[NCTribeFan]

Although I love the Fantasy-class, if they're only using them for short sailings, I probably won't be on them in the future.  That is, if I book any more with Carnival.

 

DD mentioned the other day that she wants me to do some research for a cruise.  Will have to talk about it over the holidays.

 

But there are some really cheap fares on Armonia; 7 nights are less than 5 on Carnival (depends on date and cabin, of course).  And I occasionally get some good fares on HAL.  Not sure the 30-somethings would want to sail on HAL but I personally don't think it's a Geriatrics-Only cruise line.  Yes, there are some old folks, especially on the longer sailings.  Yes, I've encountered some cruise snobs on HAL.  But my 2 Caribbean sailings on HAL were excellent.  So, we'll see what happens.

[NCTribeFan]

I whined when I got home from Sunshine that I didn't receive my 1-time Diamond gift (passport holder & luggage tag) and no letter in the cabin about the Diamond perks.

 

When I got home from that sailing, I told my TA that I didn't get those things.  She put in a call to the Diamond desk and was assured that they would take care of it on this sailing, and they did.  So I now have my nice red passport cover & luggage tag.  Seriously, those were about the only Diamond perks that interested me!  I almost never use the laundry (although I'm sure I will on the 25-night B2B next fall); I already get priority boarding and tender; I already get a free drink coupon.

 

Yes, the Diamond get-together was nice.  Very different from the 90+ group on Sunshine and I imagine there will be even more Diamonds on the 2 legs of the B2B.

 

It annoys me slightly that one of the Diamond perks is free dinner for two in a specialty restaurant.  Again, the discrimination against those of us who sail solo.  So, I get one meal.  If there's a couple who both turn diamond, they can use that separately which = four meals!  After all, I'm paying for 2 people so why can't I go to the steakhouse twice as a solo?

 

Anyway, since I like the cabin I booked for Legend (although the French Door is no longer in the French Door cabins!), and the cruises are already rather expensive, I'm not sure when I'll use my 1-time cabin upgrade.  I'm booked on Breeze in a 1A.  To upgrade myself to a 6A so I'd get the upgrade to a balcony would cost me about $350.  But I'll probably go ahead and do that since I just don't know if/when I'll book anything else on Carnival and chances are the prices will just continue to rise in the future.