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First Time Cruise a Delight by
John B from LA, CA Sailing date: Nov 2009Pros: Service, Scenery Cons: Engine room sounds at night Had always wanted to take a cruise and decided to go on a short one to see what it was like. Lots of pleasant surprises, including how they take care of your rooms to how everyone learns your name. Wasnt that impressed with the shore stops at Encinada and Catalina - got off for a while but came back when it appeared it was all tourist shops and traps - probably best to go on a wine tour or something and get off the beaten track. Ship QualityWas great overall - public toilets were not clean though Dining/FoodDidnt like the overcrowded dining rooms - but discovered one can go to another part of the ship and sit down in serene surroundings and be served. Did stand in line a couple of times though for mongolian bbq and paninis - excellent and fresh - done right in front of you. Stateroom QualityVery clean, could have been a bit more cheerful - bit noisy - heard engines on E deck nr. 239 - perhaps pick a different area of the ship next time and a window view. Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & ActivitiesLots to choose from - enjoy it for what it is - not world class but definitely pleasant  1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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  Good Cruise, but worst room on the ship by
Laura S from Costa Mesa, CA Sailing date: Oct 2009Pros: I loved the dinners Cons: the location of our room I really did have a great time, don't get me wrong, but the location of our room was terrible. I didn't know this because I was a 1st timer. We had the upper deck very end of the boat unit that must have been right next to the anchor or the motor or something. It was so noisy that we didn't sleep for the entire time. When asked what they could do, they gave us earplugs that didn't help at all. You could still feel the vibration of the motor or whatever it was. There was no offer to move us or anything. Ship QualityThe ship was a little old, but I didn't care because it was kept up nicely Dining/FoodLoved the food Stateroom Qualitybad location, U239 Ship Staff Qualityvery helpful and friendly Entertainment & Activitieslot's of fun stuff to do. 0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
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Easy to get on and off by
Julie S from Lompoc Ca Sailing date: Oct 2009Pros: Getting on and off Cons: Rooms need a little TLC Older ship and small but still fun to go on. Ship QualityLayout was a little unaccessible for wheel chairs Dining/FoodFood was great. Stateroom QualityNeed a little TLC becase of wear and tear. Ship Staff QualityLively crew fun in the dinnig rooms. Entertainment & ActivitiesAlot of things to do. Children's ProgramsVery good, stopped in for a look see. Just one thing staff give a hard time over the water slide becasue of childrens hights. Parents gave crew a hard time and may have taken it to a compaint. Its not crew fault, they are just the employees. Give them a break can be sent home with a complaint even if you are wrong and they are wright. 0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
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Decent starter cruise by
Joel G from Los Angeles, CA Sailing date: Sep 2009Pros: Friendliness of staff, variety of food, always being able to find a quiet place to relax Cons: Ports not interesting, constant upselling for shops, excursions, gambling etc., alcohol is expensive, activities on board not appealing to young adults If you've never been on a cruise before this may not be the best one to start with. Catalina is nice, clean, good tourist shopping and a few things to do, but after about 2 hours, you don't really know what else to do. Ensenada is a great place if you want to party your brains out. After about 3 hours, we were back on board. I'm from SoCal so most of the shore activities are available to me right here in LA. So that may have biased me.
I think if you are going to go on your first cruise you want to go to more interesting places. The Mexican Riviera, maybe Acapulco, Mazatlan, Cabo would be far more fun and would have tons of activities. This is a nice cruise if you just want to disconnect and relax for a couple days. Don't go expecting much more unless you want to eat and drink until you throw up. Ship QualityThe ship is clean and decorated just fine. They do have plastic chairs and tables outside which is not that appealing, but when you pay dirt cheap prices for a cruise, I was fine with it. It takes about a day to get to know where everything is, but it was not a problem, you really can't expect to memorize the ship layout in just a couple of days. Dining/FoodI was expecting better food than what we got. The buffet is definitely better than a Sizzler and the food in the evening at the sit down dinners is better than the buffet but nothing was impressive. I found it important to ask your head waiter what is good on the menu and not to order what you wanted. That was really a great way to go, much safer bet. And . . know this. ORDER AS MUCH AS YOU WANT AT THE SIT DOWN DINNERS. ORDER 3 ENTREES ORDER 4. It was so funny listening to people complain about portion size. Order as many things as you want, even if you just want to taste it. The wait staff doesn't care and wants you to have a good time! Stateroom QualityWe stayed in the least expensive room. Interior state room. I was ready to sleep in a closet, but I must tell you, it was just fine, bigger than I expected. I'm 6'6" and the king size bed fit me just fine. The sheets were comfy and there was plenty of closet space. My girlfriend and I packed a lot too. We needed more hangars and our room steward brought as many as we needed. The bathroom was also just great. The shower was large enough for me and my girlfriend to use at the same time. I had no issues with the rooms. Ship Staff QualityThis made the trip. Make friends with the people who are going to take care of you and they do. Our room steward Colas and head waiter Raghu were more than friendly and satisfied every request I made. I loved the shrimp that came with our lobster and asked if I could just get a plate of the shrimp. Raghu said probably not, but guess what, I got it. I also brought a bottle of wine for each of the four nights. I gave them all to Raghu who brought out a bottle every night for me along with a plate of cheese to taste. I can't say enough about the friendly staff on board. They really try hard to make sure you enjoy yourself. Entertainment & ActivitiesOther than the comedians they bring out from Vegas I really wasn't interested in anything else. Like I said, I'm fro SoCal and have access to great entertainment year round so I'm biased. If you are from somewhere a little more remote or have kids and never get out, the activities might be more appealing to you. But for me, unless I wanted to drink or gamble I just hung out on the upper decks in a quiet area and mixed cocktails. Children's ProgramsI don't have kids, but I feel the need to say that the Carnival Paradise did an excellent job of just making the kids disappear. I never noticed children anywhere. Don't get me wrong, I love children but I don't want to feel like I'm on vacation at a daycare center. I hardly ever saw children. I must say they deserve an Excellent for this. 3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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So Much Fun!!! by
Ines H. from Thousand Oaks CA Sailing date: Sep 2009Pros: The size of the ship...not so large that you felt like a number & big enough to still feel like a small community Cons: some of the events overlap - so you have to choose which to do and not do This ship was very pretty and well maintained. We were very happy with it. Ship QualityThe smaller cruise ship is very appropriate for short cruises (3 - 4 days) Dining/FoodWe never had anything we didn't like...and if we did they would have exchanged it for something else. Stateroom QualityWe had a window (not a porthole) very nice sized room even with 3 people. Ship Staff Qualityno complaints at all! Entertainment & Activitieswe were very please with the entertainment. Although some of the scheduled events over lapped or coincided with eachother making it a do this or do that. 
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Ensenada, MexicoLa Boufadora is a must see for everyone, and the town itself is pretty clean and it felt safe to walk to and from it.
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I plan to come back again,, good cruise by
A Traveler from Covina, CA. Sailing date: Aug 2009Pros: casino, food I had travel with royal caribean twice but this one was superb, exellent. thank you, was a wanderful experience, most of all I love the schedule of the casino., thanks, Mariana Vasquez Ship Quality
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Ensenada, MexicoI love La Bufaadora then keep the place clean people were not pushy to grab a customer as before experiences.
Catalina Island, California
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Overall great trip by
A Traveler from Atlanta, GA Sailing date: Jun 2009Pros: Catalina Island Cons: repetitive food items Check-in was very quick and easy, no problems. Ship was very comfortable. Nice deck areas with sufficient deck chairs. Ship was kept clean with friendly personnel. Food was fine, but somewhat bland and repetitive. We took our own luggage off the ship rather than setting out the night before, which made disembarkation painless. Ship Quality
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Catalina Island, CaliforniaCatalina Island is beautiful from the ship, reminded us a little of some Italy and France ports. Not enough time in-port to really explore the island, but had fun browsing the shops and taking photos.
Don't Miss: N/A 0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
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A fun 3-nite cruise by
Jeanne C from Palo Alto, CA Sailing date: Jul 2009Pros: I loved this entire experience. The staff were friendly and helpful, and made it fun! The ship is very clean and well maintained. It is spacious -- about the length of 2 football fields -- yet is designed in such a way that it does not feel overwhelmingly huge. the atrium is beautiful in daytime and all lit up in the evening. I went with my 11 year old son and we both had a great time. The seawater pool with a waterslide was refreshing. There are several dining rooms, the food was really good, and there were many activities for all ages. Music, shows, hanging out by the pool, and the many nooks and crannies for you to sit and talk provided places for everyone. Eventhough there were 2000 people on the ship, it never felt crowded. My son's favorite food was the sushi bar and the afternoon tea at the piano bar. we enjoyed the musical revue show. Ship QualityEverything was clean and well maintained. We loved being able to explore the entire ship. Dining/FoodThe variety and quality of the food options exceeded our expectations! Many times we enjoyed the stir fry vegetables and shrimp, chicken and beef, and loved the sushi bar. we were so full that we chose not to go to the elegant dining room (where they served lobster, shrimp and other nice meals) Stateroom QualityWe had an interior room on level U. It was spacious for us -- lots of closet and drawer space for unpacking. There was a desk and a side table in addition to the 2 beds. The beds were really comfortable , and it was very quiet. 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Deceiving deal to get a sale by
Michael R. from Los Angeles, CA Sailing date: May 2009Pros: I was able to catch up on my rest Cons: The food, the nightclub and the main pool got shut down. The food was probably the worst part about the cruise. It was like eating cafeteria food all the time and the dinner portions were very small but you could order as many as you wanted. The staff was friendly and helpful. The Rex nightclub had the world's worst DJ. Ship Quality
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Catalina Island, CaliforniaIt was nice to get off of the ship for a few hours. There is nothing to do on Catalina but walk around, take pictures, eat and drink.
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Had a great time!!! by
Eva P. from San Jose, CA Sailing date: May 2009Pros: Service was fantastic. Cons: Wanted a room with a balcony; wish that people could not put their towels on their beach chair if they are not going to be there Casino was big, shows were good, food was great, service was fantatic. Ship was clean and well kept, lots of variety of music, people were happy and nice. Dining/FoodWonderful food, wonderful service Stateroom QualityI liked it, a balcony would have been better but room was great Ship Staff QualityEveryone went "above and beyond" Entertainment & ActivitiesGreat!
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Catalina Island, CaliforniaLoved it!!!!
Don't Miss: The Decanso area to the right of the casino when facing Cataling from the sea 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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