Another great cruise ... Carnival
Paradise
If you haven't read our Celebrity
Century cruise review, you may want to start there to learn more about
us.
We wanted to take a cruise over our
daughter Annie’s spring break (she’s 15.) This happened also to
coincide with our 20th wedding anniversary. I like to get a good value,
and the best I found for the week was Carnival Paradise.
Choosing Carnival was not easy
I had sent my wife and daughter on a three-day Carnival Fantasy cruise a
couple of years ago. They liked it OK, but it was a ‘hard party’ crowd
with lots of teenagers that made it less pleasant for them than I had
hoped. Later that year, we took our first cruise as a family on Celebrity
Century and enjoyed ourselves immensely.
Choosing Carnival for this cruise was hard. The price and itinerary were
right, but I was concerned about obnoxious fellow passengers, bad food,
and a general lack of class compared to Celebrity.
We live in Florida, so we drove down to Miami the day before departure and
got to the pier mid-morning on Sunday. Parking costs $70 for the week.
Paradise is a really pretty ship outside, looking much smaller than its
neighbors Destiny and Triumph. It bears the no smoking logo proudly.
Checking in
Carnival’s check-in process and waiting areas were much nicer than
Celebrity’s. Carnival attendants were present to help, the porters were
very friendly and efficient in handling the luggage, and the waiting area
was comfortable and virtually line-free. We checked in at 11 and were able
to board quickly and painlessly at 12:15. The ship seemed almost deserted.
Carnival has its critics when discussing ship design and appearance, but
we think Paradise is beautiful. Its huge atrium is stunning, and its
design much more understated than the glitzy Fantasy. Real wood and metal
is everywhere. We spent a lot of time admiring the perfect design details:
coordination of ceiling patterns, the handles on doors, and the use of
repeating patterns. In our opinion, Carnival’s architects are geniuses
in putting so much attention into their work. The overall impression is
high quality, well-themed decoration that is both tasteful and grand. The
classical music trio playing as we entered was a nice touch, and as they
played throughout the week we always stopped by over the atrium to listen.
About the only service missing was that you have to find your own cabin.
Celebrity has someone walk you there and give you the grand tour, and I
missed that.
The cabin
Our cabin was E129, an outside. We’d booked a window cabin, but Carnival
upgraded us to the Empress deck. We were thankful many times during the
week, since Empress is the bottom floor stop of the scenic elevators, and
our cabin was right around the corner from the photo gallery, information
desk, and other key areas. Still, it was completely quiet.
All Carnival cabins are laid out the same, so if you've seen them before,
that’s what we had – two beds at right angles with a TV in the corner.
Annie’s bed was a pullout stored under one of the other beds. Adequate
closet and shelf space. The TV really worked, and got great reception on
some ‘real’ channels like ABC and TNT all week long. The bathroom was
just fine, and the shower was much better than expected in size and
function. Two nice terry robes were in the closet, and a basket of
toiletry samples (shampoo, razors, lotions, etc.) in the bathroom. Along
with a great view of the Miami causeway and mansions across from it.
Being our anniversary, I had purchased an Anniversary Pack from
Carnival’s Bon Voyage service. Pretty good deal: champagne and souvenir
glasses, $15 each of bar and photo credits, a pair of tee shirts and
visors, and a disposable camera for $69. The champagne and glasses were
iced down upon our arrival. Very nice.
We're on a ship, so let the eating
begin
The welcome aboard lunch was served in the Paris Restaurant, used for
cafeteria dining service. We ate there several times during the week
because it’s convenient and fast. We’ve read reviews that said it not
only is good, it is the same food served in the dining rooms. We didn’t
find either to be true. If you’ve eaten in a Morrison’s, Stacey’s
Buffet, Golden Corral, or other inexpensive buffet restaurant, you’ll
long for those while eating in the Paris. The selections are dreary
casseroles and rice dishes, bland and almost free of color and taste. Not
what the dining room's serving up. Selections are very limited, and it’s
served up right off the steam table, help yourself. The room is
comfortable, the view is great, and the waiter service is excellent and
friendly for this kind of service, but overall the goal seemed to be to
provide harmless, inexpensive calories to those who didn’t have the time
or interest to eat at their assigned seating in the dining room.
On the plus side, the buffet is available every evening during dinner
hours. So, if time or wardrobe doesn’t allow attending your main
seating, this is an option. And, they have fantastic, hand-tossed pizza
freshly made 24 hours a day in the back of Paris. Despite what other
reviewers have said, the gourmet versions listed are available at any
time, as long as you’re willing to wait the seven minutes it takes to
prepare if none are ready when you order. The goat cheese, mushroom, and
roasted garlic one was good, as was the napolitano, the calzones, the
chicken Caesar salad, etc.
But I digress. Once lunch was over, we walked around a lot to get our
bearings. Even after seven days, I found myself getting confused how to
get from Point A to Point B. Sometimes the decks are referred to by name,
sometimes by letter, rarely by number (which is what you really could
remember.) And, like many modern ships, you can’t simply walk from one
end to the other, since things like atriums and pool decks get in the way.
But, what the heck, it's not like we had a deadline, so roaming around was
fun.
Departing and our first night on
board
We pulled out on time at around 4:00. Paradise has a modern propulsion
system that is very quiet. You can barely tell you’re moving, and there
isn’t much noise or shaking. Leaving the port meant traveling alongside
the causeway connecting downtown Miami with the South Beach area. Lots of
cars honked, waved, and even stopped to watch us depart. We always enjoy
that part of a cruise, don't you?
We had main seating dinner in the Destiny dining room (Elation is the
other identical one.) Our tablemates were a freshly newlywed couple (who
got on board at 3:55 after connection problems,) two related couples
(cousins,) and their daughter. We were comfortable with them right away,
especially after finding out that three of the four couples were having
anniveraries this week (counting the newlyweds, anyway.) Our waiter was
Glenn from England, and the assistant waiter known only as I from
Indonesia. They quickly learned our preferences for drinks, salad
dressings, etc. and never asked again, a service we wish we could have
gotten on Celebrity. Being Carnival waiters, they had to look happy while
degrading themselves doing the Macarena or singing “God Bless America”
in foreign accents, but it was all in good fun, even if corny. Not elegant
at all times, but a heck of a lot of fun, especially each evening when
Ricardo the maire'd started off by announcing, "Ladies and gentlemen
... you look MAAAHVELOUS." I'm kind of a stiff, and even I enjoyed
myself immensely.
We didn’t expect much from Carnival’s food. My wife and daughter
hadn’t liked it all on Fantasy, but we knew Carnival had upgraded it a
couple of times since. Overall, it ranged from adequate to excellent. Not
a gourmet experience by any means, but reasonably well presented with some
creative choices. I found all the beef dishes to be excellent (steak,
filet mignon, beef Wellington, prime rib, etc.) Big lobster tails on
lobster night, and no problem if you ask for another one. Vegetable and
side dishes were pretty creative and tasty, although a bit skimpy on the
portions (but they light right up when you ask for more, or another steak
or whatever, so don't be shy.) They used fresh herbs and the breads were
excellent (our table plowed through at least four baskets of them before
each dinner.) Salads and soups were pretty boring and forgettable.
Desserts were OK, again not terribly flavorful, but pretty and not bad.
Menu items aren’t repeated for the most part, so if you see something
you like (Chocolate Decadence orlobster) get it or you’ll miss your
chance.
Our luggage arrived during dinner (believe the recommendations that you be
prepared to wear whatever you carry on for the first night’s dinner.) We
were also pleased and surprised to find a $100 shipboard credit voucher
under our door. Carnival shareholders get this as a perk, but our request
was made late. They did a great job to get it processed so quickly for us.
The beds were nicely turned down, chocolates on the pillow. The cabin
steward did a great job all week making the beds, keeping the bathroom
spotless and stocked with fresh towels, and leaving the famous Carnival
towel animals wearing our sunglasses while we were out. Much appreciated,
and we tipped accordingly.
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Crew and fellow passengers
As we strolled about the ship, we were impressed with the friendliness of
the staff. On Celebrity, most of the employees wouldn’t make eye
contact, or made it clear they weren’t happy. Carnival’s people went
out of the way to say hello and give you a smile. Kind of reminded me of
Disney. In fact, maybe they motivate the staff the same way (be friendly
or we’ll replace you with someone who is) but in any case it made us
feel very welcome.
Lots of kids on this cruise – about 700, they said. Many of them were in
the Camp Carnival program, and seemed to be having a great time. The
comedian joked that the cards giving them unlimited soda made us a
floating track meet instead of a cruise. He’s right – lots of little
ones running laps through the halls and down the stairs all week, but
nothing really annoying. No hard-partying adults, either.
Maybe there’s something to the theory that the real party crowd steers
clear of this non-smoking vessel. Most passengers were families, many of
them first-time cruisers. It isn’t the kind of cruise where you’ll be
embarrassed by not knowing which bread plate is yours, or how to pretend
to smell a wine cork for quality. We were comfortable at all times. Still,
on formal nights (two of the seven, the others being casual,) everyone was
scrubbed and dressed handsomely – many men in tuxedos, women in
beautiful dresses, even little girls in long dresses and boys in suits. I
half expected to see Hawaiian shirts and tennis shoes in the dining room,
but in reality adherence to formal dress code was much better than on
Celebrity.
To wrap up the first day, we played some slots (many nickel slots for my
wife!) spent some time on deck watching the waves go by under the moon,
and seeing the first night’s show. Paradise does killer shows, by the
way, with a dynamite orchestra, pyrotechnics, and elaborate staging and
costumes. We all liked them. Yes, the Normandie Lounge is poorly designed
(the balcony is not banked steeply enough, so everything in front of you
blocks your sight lines) but we always got there early (an hour is not too
early for the big shows, and they play bingo right before to keep you
entertained.)
We slept like babies, rocked to sleep by very gentle motion. Having
breakfast on deck is always wonderful, even if the food is not good (and
it isn’t good here – frozen potato rounds, powdered eggs, and little
fresh fruit, at least on the buffets and on deck.) Still, the french toast
is pretty good. Like all cruises, the drinks are really bad – watery
fake orange juice and the worst iced tea you can even imagine. You can get
a soda if you’re desperate enough to pay $2.50 for a 20 ouncer, plus
gratuity.
Grab those deck chairs early on ‘fun days at sea!’ We liked
Paradise’s itinerary, having a Monday sea day, three port days, and then
two sea days during the week. But, that meant all 2600 of us were hanging
around the pool. No real sense of crowding anywhere on the ship, but
chairs are at a premium. You aren’t supposed to save chairs, so our rule
is: if a chair has only a towel on it and the people sitting next to it
don’t say it’s saved, we’ll take it. If you don’t you won’t get
a chair, since several passengers ignore the request, tossing towels on
chairs and then disappearing for the day. Paradise has several decks,
though, so you can always find a chair somewhere (the back of the ship,
notably, and the tops-optional deck up by the smokestack.)
Lunch hints
Here’s some lunch hints. First, eat in the dining room: the food’s
better. You sit at your assigned table with your usual waiter, which we
vastly preferred to the “open seating” policy on Celebrity. Often
alone, since many folks eat on deck or at the buffet. If you do eat at the
buffet, the best item is the salad bar – huge bowls, fresh items, and
it’s there every day. Hamburgers are available only on deck, are freshly
grilled, and are good - you can always go outside to get one and bring it
back to the dining room (he said from extensive experience!) Buffet stuff
is not good. Stick with the pizza, salad, and burgers. If they put out
fruit salad, it’s good. And, way back in the back near the pizza is a
little area where they have items you can’t get in the other buffet
areas: usually a carved meat like pork roast or turkey, along with side
dishes.
Good days, all. Reggae band on deck. Cool drinks available. Sunburn, lots
of eating, shows, art auctions, bingo, and playing games in the library.
Midnight buffets and crepe buffet at 1 a.m. Cruising is great.
San Juan
Tuesday’s port was San Juan. We’d been there before, and didn’t
think much of it (in fact, didn’t even plan to get off the ship.) We got
in early, before 4:00, which was nice, and decided to walk around. San
Juan still seems dirty, crowded, and dangerous, although less so during
daylight hours. The welcome station on the waterfront has a Bacardi stand
serving up free rum drinks, and makes a super pina colada. Some walking
around and picture taking, and then back to Paradise. We were docked
parallel to a main road downtown, so it was fun to watch the drivers
weaving and speeding madly with little effort to avoid mayhem.
Tortola (Paradise doesn't go there
any more)
Wednesday was Tortola, British Virgin Islands. This is a great stop,
although Carnival said they would be dropping it from the itinerary soon.
It’s uncrowded and uncommercialized – no McDonald’s or Hard Rock Café.
Not much shopping, but great beaches and snorkeling. We paid $5 each to
take an open air taxi to Cane Garden Bay, a 25 minute ride over the
mountains to the other side of the island. It’s worth every penny just
as a thrill ride, as the rickety buses careen around the impossibly narrow
and twisting roadways, barely avoiding head-on collisions (and on the
'wrong' side of the road.) The beach is white sand and peaceful,
surrounded by mountains, and the water is the color of green you see in
advertisements. A few bars serve drinks and seafood, and you can rent
boats and stuff (Annie and a friend had a great time in a kayak.) It was a
great day. Highly recommended over the usual shore excursion.
St. Thomas - seen it
Thursday was St. Thomas. Been there before, with the only impression being
an overcrowded Main Street lined with people going in and out of jewelry
stores. Boring. Still, we ended up having a great time this trip. It
wasn't crowded even with three ships in port, wasn't too hot, and I bought
a nice ring for Annie at a good price and earrings for my wife. Bought
souvenirs (tee shirts and really cheap rum.)
We found a safari bus at the flea market that offered an island tour for
$15 per person, lasting about 2 ½ hours. We took it and it was wonderful.
We went up tall mountains with spectacular views, drank free sodas and rum
drinks, stopped at MountainTop and Drake’s Seat, with some great picture
taking and souvenir buying opportunities, and a stop at Magen’s Bay and
its sandy beach. You don’t want to miss this if you want to see what the
island and people are really like beyond the jewelry stores. They even
drop you right off at the ship, saving you the $2.50 return taxi fare from
downtown. If you see a red bus marked Timmy’s Tours at the flea market,
put yourself in his hands and you’ll have some great memories.
Some other observations
Room service will deliver a limited menu 24 hours a day (the longest wait
we had was ten minutes, and the food was good.)
Carnival gives you great beach towels to take ashore – a nice touch.
The ship’s newspaper quotes the daily drink special at $5.95 and keep
the glass, but it’s usually only $2.95 in a regular glass (bar service
is excellent.)
They have uniformed security guards strolling around and telling the kids
to stop running – we liked that.
The photos are very well done, so expect to buy several once you see
them.
Music and other entertainment is very good.
The daily video diary on the TV channel is a must-see.
And because of our Anniversary Pack and Carnival credit, we actually had a
check under our door the last day, since we didn’t spend it all.
The summary (yes, we had a great
time)
In summary, Carnival did exceed our expectations (as their ad says) in
almost every way on Paradise. Their food isn’t always superb, the antics
can be a bit hokey, and many of the passengers are first-timers, but we
had a ball. We were looking for fun and found it, at a bargain price and
with friendly, good, consistent service.I could afford so-called better
lines, but my family agrees we’ll be going on Carnival again next time.
It was a great vacation.
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