Carnival Paradise Cruise: 5-day Western Caribbean from Tampa, Florida

 January 2023

Tampa from Carnival Paradise

Arrival and check-in ~ Tampa

The check-in and boarding process in Tampa was not as efficient as most cruises we have been on. Our early arrival, because the hotel shuttle schedule could not meet our desired arrival time, did not help matters. When we arrived at the cruise port around 9:20 AM, people were still disembarking (passengers are usually off the ship by this time on most Carnival cruises we have been on). We found a place to wait out of the way until all the guests had disembarked, and porters were starting to take new guests' luggage, which was around 10:00 AM. We then walked up the stairs to the check-in lines. There is an escalator next to the stairs; however, it was still roped off when we ascended the steps. There were stations at the top where staff members viewed boarding passes, and then directed guests to the appropriate lines. Several guests were already waiting in the roped queues. A short time later, we were told there was a computer glitch. Around 10:45 AM, our VIP line started to move. We went through security, completed check-in, and then went to the platinum waiting area. We were on board around 11:30 AM.

View from Carnival Paradise heading out of Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida

The cruise out to sea was enjoyable. We passed under the last bridge during early dinner. Unfortunately, we did not have a seat next to a window, so my photo above of the sunset and blue lighted bridge is not the best view. Still beautiful, though!

Cabin M-1 on Carnival Paradise

Porthole cabin M-1, deck 5

We were able to drop our bags off in our cabin when we first boarded, and then our cabin was ready after 1:30 PM. This cabin is at the front of the ship on the starboard side. I would not recommend any cabin at the front of this ship, unless you like the smell of stale cigarette smoke. The smoke smell was incredibly strong forward on this ship in the halls, the showroom, and in our cabin. It was so bad, that I asked our room steward if there was anything we could do about it. He said he would ask his supervisor. Our room steward never said anything about the odor after this, and I did not bring it up again. There was one day during the entire cruise, when the cabin air smelled fresher, actually kind of like the Elemis spa scent. I had hoped that meant the cigarette smell would be gone; however, the fresher smell lasted less than 24 hours. I made two requests for a robe from our steward before I received one the second day. It would be nice if this was something guests could request online, so staff knew which guests wanted robes beforehand.

Bathroom in cabin M-1 on Carnival Paradise

The bed in this cabin was not very comfortable. The twin beds did not stay together, and we both found ourselves falling into the center crack during the night. The only seat in the cabin was a stool. On the plus side, there was adequate storage, the safe worked well, and the fridge kept items mildly cool. The water in the shower did not get hot in the afternoon on one of the port days. I think this was the day we had been in Mahogany Bay, although I do not recall for sure. I assume they had run out of hot water temporarily, as this issue had been resolved that evening. Overall, this was one of the worst cruise ship cabins we have had comfort-wise. It was also not as clean as usual. Along with bits of debris in some of the drawers, there was a bit of dirt on the floor the first day, and debris/dust balls in the corners.

Food and beverages

The menu on this ship was the same as the menu on Carnival Elation that we had been on the prior week. The only difference was that this was only a 5-day cruise, so lobster was not on the menu on elegant night.

Avocado toast in dining room on Carnival Paradise

Breakfast

• I decided to try the avocado toast in the dining room, which I did not really care for when I tried it a few years ago. The entree was pretty good, although I ordered turkey bacon as my side, and I received regular bacon. We had a few instances like this during breakfast; not receiving items we had ordered, or receiving something different.

Sea Day Brunch Caesar Salad with Salmon on Carnival Paradise

• Our Sea Day Brunch experience was pretty similar to past cruises. I had the Caesar salad with salmon for the first time. The salad was good, although I was not impressed with the salmon. It was dry and overcooked.

Lunch

• Blue Iguana Cantina provided the same foods and service as we experienced on other ships. The taco line was usually quicker than the burrito line.
• The line was usually quite long at The Deli. The Turkey Pretzel Bun was not good on this ship. The bun was not toasted, and it tasted like stale bread. 

Pizzeria seemed the same as usual, and we never had to wait long for our pizza.

Dinner

• Our experience in the dining room during dinner was similar to what we had experienced on Elation the week before this. The new changes of the smaller portion sizes, and $5 for any entree over two, were in place.
• This ship did not have a Steakhouse, or an Italian restaurant. Steakhouse Selections and Bonsai Sushi Ship were available during dinner for a $20 charge.

Outside areas

This ship had the same serenity deck and outside seating areas on back of the ship, as I described for Carnival Elation in my previous post. One day, when we were outside enjoying the view from our table above serenity, a woman sat down at a table and started smoking--using a plate for an ashtray! Unbelievably, we did not see anyone say anything to her when cleaning tables. We were glad to find beverage menus in the serenity area, as it had been difficult to get a menu on Carnival Elation. One thing we miss on the smaller ships is the outside walking track. The lines for mini golf and the water slide were not too long, even on sea days.

Showroom stage on Carnival Paradise

Entertainment and activities

The Fun Squad was great on this ship with many activities: Hog's Wild, Gotcha, Dare to Pair, Carnival Tower, Walk the Plank, and more. This was something we had missed on Carnival Elation. We were disappointed with the comedy show times. If this is top on your list, I suggest YTD or late dining. We were only able to see one comedy show, as most of them started at 6:30 during early dinner, or after 10:00 (10:15 and 11:15), which is kind of late for early diners. We enjoyed the Epic Rock show, and the marriage show in the showroom. The piano bar was always packed, and we were never able to get a seat inside, even when we arrived before it opened/started.

Chocolate Delight platinum perks on Carnival Paradise

Platinum perks and past guest party

We received a cheese plate and chocolates for our chocolate delight. The cheese plate was amazing. This was our 15th Carnival cruise since we became platinum, and the cheese plate we received on this ship was the best we have ever had. Sometimes, we have been told we cannot get a cheese plate instead of the chocolates, and many times we receive just one chocolate delight (which is fine with us), even though we are both platinum. When we received our amazing cheese plate on this cruise, we did not expect anything else, since it was so spectacular. We took it to an outside table in the shade and had it for lunch. When we returned to our cabin later that day, a chocolate delight had been delivered to our cabin also--wow!

The past guest party was on the last sea day, the evening before we got back to port. It was a basic party with trays of nasty tasting sugary drinks. We were able to get one special order good quality beverage before it ended. Nothing had changed in regards to picking up the koozie gifts and ship pins from pixels, and our water bottles from a bar.

Debarkation

Debarkation was pretty quick for VIP guests. We had a checked bag, and we were on shore and calling for our shuttle before 8:00 AM.

Above: View from Carnival Paradise leaving Tampa
Below: View from Carnival Paradise at dock

Misc. and overall

Although a few of our experiences were below our expectations, we would cruise from Tampa again. The ride out the channel was enjoyable, and we liked that there are a couple of hotel options within walking distance of the cruise port (Hampton Inn and Home2Suites). 

I was not sure how many more Carnival cruises we would take until I realized we are almost diamond. We now have five cruises booked in the next two years! 😮

I will share information about our ports of call in my next post. Let me know if you have any questions!