It’s Day 4 for my guest blogger, John, who’s on his final day of this Western Caribbean Cruise on the Carnival Paradise. If you’ve been following along, this is John’s first Carnival cruise and in his Day 1 report he wasn’t sold on sailing with them again. You’re going to have to stick around to the end to see his final thoughts on the cruise overall and whether he’d book another Carnival cruise.
So let’s get right to it, as I’m sure you want to know the answer as well. John, take it away!
It’s my last day on the Carnival Paradise and to kick it off, I went to get an omelet, and this time it was overcooked. I’ve been getting the same omelet all week, and it’s been perfect, but today it tasted like I cooked it myself. It was dry and overdone. The potatoes were labeled as potato wedges, but they looked like homemade potato chips. Some were cooked perfectly with a nice crunch, while others were soggy, covered with oil, and underdone. The bagel was bland, too. It tasted like it had been sitting out for a while, even after I toasted it.
I was disappointed with this breakfast.
Today was just a chill day. I had a couple of cups of coffee and relaxed on the pool deck. I ordered a spicy Bloody Mary while I was putting my notes together for the blog. The Bloody Mary was good but a bit watered down by the time it got to me.
I met up with my friends for a while who are also on board before I ventured away to the casino. I was up and down again. Of course, I ended when I was down.
Had a late lunch at the deli. Crew member Khalil was by himself with a huge line. He looked tired and worn out. I gave him a compliment and told him he’s doing a great job, and said it sucks they have him by himself during peak time. His response was, “I’m used to this.” I asked him if it’s always like this, and he said, “Yes,” and laughed. I assured him he was doing a great job and thanked him. That brought a smile to his face. This has been a common theme on this ship: Crew members look tired and overworked. They are often left by themselves during peak hours.
I ordered a meatball sub and a chicken salad sandwich. I didn’t eat it all, but they were 2 items I wanted to try. They were both good, and I would get them again.
I then headed down to the Atrium Bar. By far, my favorite place, and the most personable bartenders were We and Jose. The violinists were playing, so I stayed there for quite a while. They were playing a couple of 30-45 minute sets and taking a 15-minute break. This has been my favorite entertainment onboard. Like I said before, it’s a perfect setup and a perfect type of entertainment for that location.
The violinists, Julie and Daniella, “the golden duo,” are their names. I was at the end of the bar by the stage and got to talk to Daniella. Unfortunately, this is her last contract, and she will not be returning. Julie will be returning but is not sure which ship yet. I am very happy I got to see them perform.
We was bartending and was later joined by Jose. They were the only bartenders who took the time to interact and get to know us. We has been with Carnival for 13 years. I asked her if they are short-staffed, as she was alone for a good part of the busy time, and she said, “Yes.” She thanked us for acknowledging that they need two bartenders when it is busy. With my background in theme park management, this is stuff I look at and observe. She looked exhausted but kept a smile on her face and cracked jokes with us about it.
If anyone comes on this ship and We and Jose are working, please get some drinks from them and talk to them. Both are great people and really are the best bartenders on this ship. Definitely the best interactions I had with any employee on the ship.
I headed back to the casino for one last go. Again, up and down a few times and bonuses that paid nothing back. I have some good points, though, so I may get some offers. Overall, I am not down as much as I should be.
I wasn’t hungry, so I skipped the main dining. I eventually headed up to the buffet for a quick bite. I did not finish anything I got, as it just wasn’t good. Some dried enchiladas, dry mashed potatoes, and bourbon chicken wings that weren’t cooked to my liking. I was very disappointed with all dining today.
I went to catch the last comedy show, this time in the main theater with both comedians. My first time seeing Sean Finnerty. Sean opened the show; he had some good jokes, but some of it, to me, was a little hacky and not to my liking. Alex Elkin closed the show and had the whole place laughing. Some people even got up and left before he came out, and others left during his set, I assume because he had offended them. I overheard people talking while exiting the show, saying the people next to them had gotten really offended and “couldn’t believe Carnival would have someone like that.” They gave proper warnings before the show started.
That’s it – I called it an early night.
If you all stayed for my whole adventure, thank you! If not – I understand. I was a bit long-winded with some of this, but I really tried my best to capture the experience as best I could.
Final Thoughts
You all are probably wondering, “Will John sail Carnival again, or will he just stay ‘Loyal to Royal’?” Well, here it goes.
The biggest issue I had with this ship, in particular, is the layout. I know it’s older, and the newer ships are not like this, so that isn’t fair.
Let’s talk bathrooms – there is a lack of them, and they are all very small. I actually found another men’s room on the last night on deck 8 above the Atrium Bar. The sign lights go in and out for it, so if you are looking when it isn’t lit up, you would never know it’s there. I saw a ladies’ room on the first night and knew a men’s room had to be around, but I just couldn’t find it. I noticed the sign illuminate while sitting at the Atrium Bar, then quickly went out again. The ladies’ room light is always on.
The bathroom at the pool deck, both men’s and women’s, is a single stall. It’s between the two pool bars and the busiest part of the ship. The door opens automatically and remains open for 5-10 seconds, so each time someone goes in, you have to wait for the door to close before they can even use it. If someone tries to force it or press the button again, it could re-trigger the sensor and cause it to remain open another 5-10 seconds. This caused massive lines and I’m sure also encouraged people to just go in the pool.
The crew was definitely short-staffed, and according to a few crew members, this is normal. I felt bad for them. Now I understand why one of the crew members on Royal that I met said, “Jumping from Carnival to Royal was the best decision ever. I worked a lot harder for less money on Carnival.”
One bartender, one person working the deli, one person at the coffee bar, one person at Pizza Pirate – all during peak times too. The bartender at the Paris Lido bar was by himself with a full bar plus making drinks for the staff walking around taking orders. Yet, I see bars, the deli, coffee bar, the Pizza Pirate staffed with two or more when they weren’t busy.
I saw what looked like a lot of people being trained, so I wonder if maybe this is a training ship. If so, that could explain a lot.
The pros – food was great overall, a few bad meals, but that’s expected anywhere, and I could have just had bad timing at the buffet. I love the complimentary options – something Royal lacks. Guys Burger Joint was great and never had a long line.
The casino was really nice for a small ship. Lots of options and never really had a hard time finding something to play.
The service overall was great, with the exception of a few bartenders ignoring guests. The servers, public area crew, entertainment staff, room attendants – they all were great. I’m not going to let the fact that they were all short-staffed deter me from Carnival because they were all busting their butts and working hard to make up for it.
I know I’m not a typical cruiser. I usually travel solo, so I’m not doing all of the activities and whatnot. So, I guess I try to give a different perspective and hopefully touch on some things that no one else even thinks about.
I guess I should answer the question of the hour now – will I sail Carnival again?
Yes.
Yes, I will.
From day 1 to day 4, I completely changed my mind about them. I had a great time and need to check out other ships.
Thank you all, and thank you, Scott, for giving me space on your website to blog my first Carnival experience. This has been awesome.
Until next time, tip your servers, tip your bartenders, tip your wait staff, and have fun! See you on the water.
Well, that was an ending I wasn’t expecting! While Carnival isn’t for everyone, it’s good to see John saw through some of the negatives to make his first Carnival experience a positive one and turn his original negative experience into a positive. I’m looking forward to inviting John back to share his experience on his next Carnival cruise and, of course, his adventures as he continues to be “Loyal to Royal!”