ryanprice10

I am going on Carnival Paradise in March. I am scared because there are lots of negative comments! It is my first cruise. Can someone tell me some postive stuff about the ship? Is it a good cruise for first timers? Thanks you to all the reply.

Ryan

tch912

Don't be scared of negative comments. I have been to places that some travelers said was horrible but I found it to great. Look at cruisecritic.com. Some people look at the glass half empty, negative while others look at it as half full, positive. If there are some bad things look for the good. I am going on my first cruise in March also and can't wait. When I say I am going to have a good time, I do. Enjoy your cruise.

gail

Calm down. I just read the 2 most recent and most negative reviews of this ship from cruisecritic. One took issue with the cruiseline not helping them commit fraud - that is, switch names on cabin occupants to reflect veteran - that is cheaper - status - even though this was not the case. She also complained that there were children on board and made complaints about cleanliness that were just so over the top they were difficult to believe. The other person's main complaint was that the ship was late getting into port and therefore very late leaving port on her cruise (things happen) and that there were people in their 50s (my god - so old!) who were drinking.

Read reviews carefully and make sure your expectations are realistic. You are probably paying about $100 per person per night for lodging, vast amounts of food, entertainment. If you go expecting $500/night hotel service and $200/meal food, you will be disappointed. If you expect a good value for what you are paying in a nice atmosphere in warm weather, you will have a great time. I have been on about a half dozen cruises - 4 different lines. All were fun; none were perfect. Sometimes it rained - that was not the cruiselines fault. I did not expect an all-you-can-eat lobster buffet. And if they did not have my favorite brand of tea, I did not rant and whine on a cruise review board. And if the food on a buffet line was not to my liking, I ate somewhere else on the ship for that meal.

Report back when you return - and have a good trip.

Lovepeto

Gail is so right ! If you expect a good value for what you are paying, you will have a great time. My husband and I are sailing on Carnival in 2 weeks, our fourth cruise, all on Carnival, and I can honestly say we've never, ever been disappointed. The service, food, amenities, bedding, everything has always been top-notch. Our next cruise will probably be on Royal Caribbean, simply because we want to try a different line. We took our first cruise Dec. '06 and were hooked .... we are cruise junkies. Please do report back and let us know how your first cruise was !

jacketwatch

Go w/ an open mind and don't worry about the naysayers. They will always be there no matter what. JM2C.

ryanprice10

Thank you guys soo much! You made me feel a lot more confident. I will get back to you guys and tell you about by expernice in March!!

triathlete

I definitely agree. Carnival provides a very good, very consistent experience ship-to-ship. It's the most popular cruise line in the world for a reason. You'll have a great time!

ryanprice10

IT WAS THE GREATEST CRUISE EVER!!!

triathlete

So glad you had a great time, Ryan. It's always interesting to see how online criticisms stack up to the real thing. People who are unhappy seem to be a lot more motivated to complain that happy customers are to praise. It's too bad, really--we should all try to be more grateful, I think.

bdjtbenson

I've been on Carnival cruises and would gladly travel with them again.

Their cabins are the largest in the business and the food and service were fine as far as I was concerned.

They tend to nickel and dime you and constantly try to sell additional products/services, which can be a little annoying (but I think that's true of the cruise industry in general).

Carnival caters to the middle market travelers. Upmarket customers often want a more exclusive experience than Carnival offers.

Dayenu

jacketwatch

A long time ago when cruisecritic had a rating system up to 6 points max I took the time to average out ALL the reviews, at least up till then, for Carnival and for RCI. I did this for RCI because the thread here was one comparing it to CCL. There were several naysayers who couldn't imagine that CCL was equal to RCI. Well they were right. RCI had an average of 4.44. CCL came in at 4.43.

blueeyes99

For those of you into entertainment it's not bad. Then of course if you like to eat there is plenty of food just be careful what you eat.

Eschew

Almost all mass amrket cruise lines are about the same, except one. I don't have to name it as most seasoned crusier will know which cruise line it is. Not that they are bad, it is just that they are very inconsistent, more bad experience than good.

If there is anything I didn't like about Carnival is the number of PA annoucements. They are not the only one who is quilty. As an example, Princess and Celebrity have a whole lot less PA nosies.

Nickle and dime? They all do it. That's where they make their money. Some more subtle than others. I see champaign and Orange juice for breakfast. I'll accept that. Bailys or Kahlua for your morning coffee? Hmm ... that's pushing it.
Selling you a bottled water before you going on a shore excursions? I call it convenience and not nickle and dime.

tch912

ryanprice10 I am glad you had a great time. I just back from a 5 night cruise out of Tampa. Its was great. My grandchildren along with family and friends were already talking about sailing again with Carnival. I do want to cruise with other lines but right now I am sold on Carnival. They produced an excellent product.

RosieTurner

Some people can have a bad time anywhere... that is why I'm not a big fan of forums... Paradise will be fine.

Eschew

Rosie, you are 100% right that "some people can have a bad time anywhere". For me, a bad day on a cruise ship is still better than a good day in the office.

You do have to use your "filter" while visiting forums and decide what you believe and what you shouldn't.