Good Family Experience by
Peggy A. (a Grandma) from Palm Springs, CA
Sailing date: Aug 2009 Pros:
Friendliness of entire Staff
Cons:
Extra Charges for Almost Everything
Ship was well maintained, and despite large crowds including many children was kept very clean most of the time. Entertainment, specially for the children was excellent.
Staff was exceptional.
Ship Quality
Dining/Food Coffee is horrible!! Even at expresso bar where you pay for it, attendant actually made the expresso and then diluted it with water. Coffee in the regular restraunts was just colored water.
Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & Activities
Children's Programs
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Our first time by
Terri L from Bay Area, CA
Sailing date: Aug 2009 Pros:
dining room staff, the towel animals, kid's programs
Cons:
bistro food
The ship was clean, well-organized, and there was plenty for everyone in the family to do. I particularly appreciated our dining room waiters and the programs for my 9 and 15 year old.
Ship Quality Stairs were a problem in some areas for my mom with mobility issues.
Dining/Food Dining room food was very good. The Paris Bistro food could use an upgrade.
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Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & Activities
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Ensenada, Mexico Good fish tacos and churros!
Catalina Island, California We had fun on the paddleboat.
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a fabulous trip by
sarah from surrey british columbia canada
Sailing date: Apr 2009 Pros:
the service was excellent, the food was fabulous and the entertainment never ended!
Cons:
we did not have 1 single complaint...
overall we had a fabulous experience for our first cruise and would definatly do it again....everything was perfect!
Ship Quality
Dining/Food
Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & Activities
Children's Programs our kids had a blast...unfortunatly they're not used to being awake the hours that the kids programs ran...however they managed to stay awake for everything and have not stopped talking about it...they all made new friends.
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Ensenada, Mexico a very cultural experience
Catalina Island, California we didn't get off the boat in catalina, however we have been there before and it is a very beautiful place to visit.
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A Great Adventure by
Gayle G. from Hillsboro, OR
Sailing date: Mar 2009 Pros:
Being pampered.
From the moment we entered the ship we were given the vacations we had dreamed of. My mother, my daughter and myself began our cruise with a toast to our vacation sitting by the pool in our bathing suits. We were able to unpack all our clothes and make our room a home away from home. We opted for a room on the Veranda deck that gave us easy access to the pool, the buffet and the restaurants. Our stewards would pamper us with chocolate and towel animals every night and make an effort every day to have our room in perfect condition for us to return to each day. Catalina Island was a spectacular destination for beach, sun and shopping. Ensenada gave us a true test of Mexican Adventure. But my favorite part was just cruising out in the ocean with the gentle breeze, a good book from their library and plenty of sun to warm our Pacific Northwest bones. My 83 yr old mother made a brief visit for a cough to the medical facilities and was treated excellently by the doctor on staff. And she never got lost on this big ship-whenever she felt confused there was a staff member close at hand to help her manuever to her next destination. You could not ask for a better vacation adventure!
Ship Quality
Dining/Food We used the assigned seating time of 6:00pm and met some great fellow travelers. My daughter, a college student met 4 young college women at our table and had instant evening companions for the whole trip!
Stateroom Quality It was the ultimate in pampering! The rooms are very user friendly and had plenty of space to store clothing for 3 adult women! It was comfortable and cozy.
Ship Staff Quality The staff made it a point to get to know our names and greeted us each day. They were very attentive!
Entertainment & Activities Good variety of entertainment for all levels.
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Catalina Island, California Take time the stroll up to the mission bell on the hill and bring your swim suit to relax on the sandy beach!
Don't Miss: Go kayaking!
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Great "Try it Out" Cruise by
Diana E, from Salem, Oregon
Sailing date: Sep 2008 Pros:
Entertainment, Dining, Diversity of Travelers and Staff, Fun
Cons:
Waiting to Disembark
We took the four nights cruise from Long Beach. This was our try it out cruise. We never expect perfection when traveling. Embarkation went smoothly. We arrived at 11:00.All of the staff was helpful in letting us know what the procedures were. We waited for wedding parties to embark, and we were sitting on the lido deck at noon. All of the staff was pleasant and helpful. We had no expectations; therefore, we enjoyed the total experience. Our stateroom was on the empress deck with a window and plenty of space to store everything. The beds were comfortable and the pillows really nice. We could control the temperature level easily. Nice to never have a stuffy feeling. The bathroom and shower were very roomy for a cabin space. Water was hot. When we required our steward, he was there promptly. We enjoyed the diversity of the travelers and the staff, and being September, there were few children aboard. We ate in the dining room, and the food was excellent with the portions just right so that you could eat each course. The lido buffet also prepared good sandwiches if you wanted, and the late night pizza was excellent. We liked watching the many activities going on, and the production shows were very entertaining and professional. Best event was the singing around the piano. There were many places to go to have a quiet spot if one wanted. The ship was mostly very clean. Some improvement could be in getting the tables cleaned after people vacate, but we just sat and staff shortly appeared! Debarkation went smoothly, just a wait for immigration that slows things down. But gave more time to visit with nice people. Downside was a smelly bathroom on the lido deck when we arrived. There may be better lines and ships, but all in all, a great first time cruise experience.
Ship Quality Was a little confusing to use the elevators and one did not work for most of the cruise. We mostly just used the stairs, which might be hard for some people.
Dining/Food We liked the choices in the dining room each night and the quality. The lobster was excellent. Nice to have grilled sandwiches on the lido and late night pizza.
Stateroom Quality Comfortable room. There was no decor. But it was clean and plenty of storage space.
Ship Staff Quality All the staff was friendly that we encountered. Our head waiter and matre d went above our expectations by arranging a galley tour for us. We were overwhelmed with being able to do this on first cruise! The cruise director was very enthusiastic.
Entertainment & Activities Something for everyone. We were empressed with the show productions.
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Ensenada, Mexico We did no tours as we have been to Mexico. Enjoyed just walking, shopping and snacking.
Catalina Island, California Rented a golf cart for two hours and toured the island. Perfect.
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Carnival Paradise- Never again! by
A. Smith from Seattle, WA.
Sailing date: May 2008 Pros:
The entertainment and food were fabulous.
Cons:
The common areas and common bathrooms were dirty.
There were many good things about the ship, including the wonderful food, waiters and entertainment. After just returning from a cruise on another line, we felt this ship was inferior, due to too many smoking areas, inadequate and dirty public bathrooms. These are all areas that could be improved upon with a little effort.
Ship Quality
Dining/Food
Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff Quality Our room steward probably spoke two sentences to us. On the plus side, he kept the room very clean.
Entertainment & Activities The singers were exceptional.
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Ensenada, Mexico Our rating isn't very fair, as we have visited much of Mexico. We understand why this port is on the schedule.
Catalina Island, California The island is very picturesque. We loved the yellow submarine ride.
Don't Miss: The yellow submarine.
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Cruise needs improvement. by
Robert H. from Anchorage, AK
Sailing date: Mar 2008 Pros:
Friendly Staff
Cons:
Berthing Facilities
I will never use Carnival again. It was acceptable only because we took our grandkids and they liked it. There is no regard for the handicap once you are aboard. I would have paid for better accomadation had I been told they were available. Does Carnival really expect a senior and or handicap person to climb up to a high bunk? Rather than deal with the problem the Pursers desk kept sending me to different staff that did the same. Lots of stress that could easily be avoided instead of pushing for sales.
Ship Quality
Dining/Food
Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & Activities
Children's Programs
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A Great Time by
James W from Olympia, WA
Sailing date: Oct 2007 Pros:
R & R
Cons:
Didn't last long enough
I have done 5 cruises on Carnival alone The Paradise was a good one.
We really enjoyed ourselves.
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Dining/Food
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Ensenada, Mexico The Blow Hole Blafado. Shopping in area right off the ship was a waste of time must go to town to get best buys!
Catalina Island, California
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KIDS GALORE! by
Shellie from Oregon
Sailing date: Jun 2007 This is definently a cheaper cruise and you know it the second you step foot on the ship. The two cruises we had taken before were so much better all the way around. There are not that many amenities and there were KIDS GALORE! No adult only pools on this ship! Entertainment shows were ok.... It was a huge letdown from past cruising experiences.
Ship Quality This is an older ship. There are musty smells and sticky surfaces. It was clean, but it was in need of a DEEP clean!
Dining/Food Variety seems to be a bit of an issue if you get burnt out on buffets. They had sushi but it is rarely open.
Stateroom Quality The staterooms were tiny compared to the ones we've stayed in before with Royal Caribbean.
Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & Activities This Ship is OVERFLOWING with Children. The spa's that state "18 and over" seemed to be swarming with kids. The pools were small and saturated. If your looking for a relaxing time by the pool, This would not be your ship.
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Relaxing Cruise by
Gary B from Gresham, OR
Sailing date: Sep 2007 Pros:
The ship, the crew, the food. Fellow passengers.
Cons:
The porter service at the dock which was the longshoreman's job at Long Beach
This was our third cruise but the first on a ship built for the cruise trade. The others were converted ocean liners. Once we got past the porters on the docks the boarding process was smooth and speedy. The crew was helpful and friendly. The food was good, the service excellant. My wife thought the jewelry in the shops wasn't all that unique but the help in the shops was excellant. Going in I thought a 4 days cruise was no big deal but during and after I was off the ship I have come to believe that a 4-5 days cruise is really nice. We didn't go all that far so we were not in rough open seas. I would do this cruise again. And, I enjoyed Carnival.
Ship Quality Clean ship and nicely laid out
Dining/Food Good food with a good variety of choices. They had special items every night and the a section of the menu that were the same every night. I got stuck on a very good New York steak for 3 or the 4 dinners. We ate in the Paris restaurant for lunch and breakfast where the selections were numerous.
Stateroom Quality Nicely laid out room with enough storage for our suitcases and clothes, unless you bring a ton of stuff.
Ship Staff Quality Never met the senior officers but the rest of the crew were numerous, friendly and helpful.
Entertainment & Activities There was a really good show for 2 of the 3 nights.
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Ensenada, Mexico We walked around town, puchased a few things, then went back to the ship for lunch and sunbathing. If I go again I'd like to take the movie set tour.
Don't Miss: Leaving the dock in that small harbor was really interesting
Catalina Island, California We have been wanting to go to Catalina Island for years. We enjoyed it. Wish I could live there.
Don't Miss: The city tour we purchased from Carnival
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