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Carnival Cruise Line

MS Paradise

Your Rating:
Reviewed by: Joe Goodman
# previous cruises: 10+
Date of Trip: December 1, 1998
Itinerary: Overnight

Let me first qualify myself my telling you that we are not Carnival fans. Second I am an ex-smoker and appreciate how enjoyable smoking can sometimes be for a smoker, but yet how annoying it can be for a non-smoker. I tried very hard to be as objective as possible on both of these matters. I will not compare this ship or cruise line to any other ship or cruise line as this would be unfair, each cruise line and/or ship appeals to a particular passenger and must stand on its own merits.

We boarded the Paradise on Friday at about 2:45pm. Having been on many other overnight ship inspections I expected to see a mob of people with long lines taking a long time to check in. This was the first surprise; there were no lines, no mobs, and no waiting. Carnival had more check-in counters then most others and they apparently allowed checking-in to start a little early.

There is a large international non-smoking symbol painted on the bow of the ship. I personally though it was very tacky and took away from the looks of the ship, but its message was loud and clear, this is a non-smoking vessel.

As everyone knows, or should know by this time the Paradise is a non-smoking ship. The crew and passengers are not permitted to smoke aboard the ship. Crew was selected from non-smoking applicants. Passengers are warned by the international non-smoking symbol on their documents, and a waiver that must be signed with every set of documents. Anyone caught smoking, (if you dare try to get away with it) will be escorted off the ship at the next port of call. There will be no refund or financial assistance in getting back home. As Bob Dickinson, President of carnival cruise line said, Carnival has taken this non-smoking policy very seriously. Even when the ship was being built, the workers were not permitted to smoke on or near the ship.

During my stay on the ship I stopped at the bar in the atrium to get a drink and talk to a few people. After spending some time talking we all realize how enjoyable it was not to have smoke blown in our face. The drinks and conversation was much more enjoyable. I know this sounds anti-smoking, I don't mean it to be. It's just that for the non-smoker this is a dream come true.

I know that on other ships they designate the port (left) side smoking and the starboard (right) side non-smoking, but this does not really work. Smokers tend to not pay attention and carry their ash trays along with their lit cigarettes over to the starboard side. Smoke from the port side usually drifts over to the starboard side. I for one never enjoyed standing around a bar with a drink because of this, until now. Most of the travel industry people on the ship all had the same experience, everything seems to feel and taste (drinks) better. I should warn you that if you have a piece of paper and you are looking for an ashtray to throw it in, forgot it, there aren't any. This happened to me and I had a hell of a time trying to find a receptacle to throw it in.

Although I found the ship still somewhat gaudy, it was not glitzy like many of the older Carnival ships. Carnival has toned down the glitzy on this ship.The ship is not elegant but then it is not suppose to be. Carnival markets itself as the fun ship, not the elegant ship. They leave elegance to their sister cruise lines, Holland America, Cunard, etc. Although it may not be to my liking, it definitely has that "Fun ship" décor and atmosphere, which is exactly what Carnival is marketing.

The ships theme is suppose to be a tribute to legendary liners of yesteryear. The Queen Mary lounge has replica's of the Queen Mary's smoke stacks to support chairs and tables. The Blue Riband library has models of ships that broke speed records. The ceiling contains a map of the route taken when the Blue Riband won the race. The theme is not carried throughout the ship as the Rex Dance Club is decorated around a jungle-like setting which has nothing to do with a vintage liner.

During the presentation Mr. Dickinson said that for dinner we would be selecting from a regular menu the same, as passengers will get. Just for the record, Lobster Tail was on the menu.

Speaking about food, several years ago Carnival had the reputation of having the worst food of any cruise line. Carnival said that over the years they have improved their food, well they have. It is not the best food of any cruise line, but it is lots better then some of the other cruise lines, and a heck of lot better then it use to be.

In the morning we had the buffet breakfast in the Paris restaurant where they had a fresh orange juice machine. Passenger take fresh oranges and drops them into machine, which automatically squeezes them into orange juice. What a difference from that canned stuff everyone else uses.

The standard cabins on the ship appear to be smaller then the other Carnival ships but I am told that they are the same size of 185 square feet. There was sufficient closet space, but the cabins did lack drawer space. Furnishing was standard and very basic. The corner table had a back lit picture of a vintage ship, which did not add or detract from the cabin. The table itself was hollow and used to store the life jackets and bed spread at night. This kept both of these items out of the way without taking any closet space. The boarding pass which looks like a plastic credit card also works the safe as well as being a door key.

Bathrooms were large, especially the showers. One of the major complaints we do get from some "large" clients is the size of the shower; Carnival seemed to have addressed this problem. The other complaint that we have gotten is the lack of amenities in the bathroom. There aren't any, but this almost a trademark with carnival.

The entertainment in the main Normandie showroom was very good. There was one act where they made excellent use of the laser technology. The laser enhanced the act instead of the act enhancing the laser technology. The two-story room itself was small and in fact many could not find seats.

Children World located on the sports deck overlooking the main pool area. It is a fully equipped children area for kids of all ages. Carnival's children program will accept them from ages 2 to 17.

The ships itinerary will be alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean. The Eastern Caribbean will have two new ports, Virgin Gorda and Tortola, in addition to the standard ports of San Juan, and St. Thomas.

Mostly young people between ages 20-40.

Like I stated at the beginning, my wife and I were never great fans of Carnival ships, but I think that Carnival has gone a long way in improving its reputation. Like Bob Dickinson said, Carnival use to be a "bottom feeder looking up, now they own what they were looking up at." This ship is clearly a step up for Carnival.

In summary, the décor, appearance, food, service, etc. all pale to the of the ships major difference, non-smoking. Ever since Carnival announced that this ship was to be the first non-smoking ship, it became the major item of discussions in the papers, at function and in the office. Although I personally liked the idea, I was skeptical about its success. It was my opinion that almost any significant size group would have a few members that smoke preventing the group front selecting this ship. Well, I may have misjudged the public. Talking to group leaders I am amazed at the number of groups that are 100 non-smokers (not by design). I was also amazed as to the appeal a non-smoking ship has on these groups as well as individual non-smokers. I don't know how well the non-smoking concept will work, but from my perch it looks like Carnival may have hit on something. This is an item that will have to be revisited in a year or so.