Paradise accommodations

Cabins aboard Paradise are standard in size and amenities. The good news is they're among the largest in the cruise industry: inside measure 185 sq. ft, outside are 190 sq. feet. You can book the minimum category inside or outside stateroom and still have a lot of space. Families and groups of singles book cabins for four and five people early, and these go first. Carnival's cabins are bare bones in decor and amenities: you'll find a color TV with CNN, telephone and radio, no hair dryers and a basket of "free-sample" toiletries. Oceanview staterooms and suites have a mini bar and bathrobes for your use. Bathrooms are fairly large, with hand-held shower and medicine cabinet. There are also 26 mini-suites (226 sq. feet plus 36 square foot private veranda) and 28 suites measuring 350 sq. feet with 71 sq. foot balconies.

Carnival Paradise - Interior Every

Every Carnival guest is assured of spacious, comfortable accommodations. All staterooms have carpeting, ample drawer and closet space, private facilities (shower, basin and toilet), telephone and color television showing first-run films. Our SuperLiners all feature staterooms above ocean level for a more comfortable cruise.

Includes stateroom categories 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E.

Carnival Paradise - Ocean View

Includes stateroom categories 5A, 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D. Category 5A staterooms feature two porthole instead of a picture window.

Carnival Paradise - Suite

These extra-large accommodations have a separate sitting area and a private balcony. Special features include a large vanity/dressing table, refrigerator and entertainment area, VCR, whirlpool bath and walk-in closet.

Category 11 Staterooms.

Staterooms

Spartan and dorm-like, Paradise's sleeping quarters are fine for sleeping and showering but not particularly comfortable for cocooning. It works out though, since the objective is to get you out on deck where this "Fun Ship" really shines.

Standard rooms are spacious enough, at an average size of 185 square feet, and have ample storage and closet space. Each cabin has a small desk with five nice-sized drawers, a closet with shelves on one side and hanging space on the other, an open storage area, twin beds that can be made into a queen, a 19-inch television, a stool at the desk, a small round coffee table and a small chair. The predominant color in the cabins is an orangey-coral with red highlights; the ceiling is coral, the Formica desktop is coral, the little coffee table is coral. The spreads and window treatments are a mix of pink, orange, blue and purple, and the carpeting adds dark grey and light blue to the underlying coral color.

One corner of the cabin has a built-in box that is used for extra blankets and the life jackets. When the beds are configured as a queen, the person on the inside has no access except to climb over the outer bed. Above the box and angled into the corner is the television, which does not swivel but instead faces the center of the room. It's almost impossible to view comfortably from either bed when they are configured as twins, and the lone chair is too uncomfortable for relaxing.

Television programming is minimal, with three network stations from the eastern U.S., one movie channel for adults and one for children, and several in-house channels with information about shore excursions, shipboard activities and shopping.

The standard bathrooms are also spacious, with a roomy shower, sink with storage space above for makeup and other necessities, and an explosively loud vacuum toilet. Considering the riotous colors of the room decor, the pastel tiles are soothing. In fact, compared to the pre-molded plastic bathrooms that are being utilized in many new ships, these add an air of elegance to the cabins. Hot water is plentiful and the water pressure great; the cloth shower curtain does tend to billow and cling, but otherwise the shower is excellent.

Note: Carnival has partnered with companies that provide sample sizes of their items including Crest toothpaste, Johnson & Johnson dental floss, Bic razors and Listermint mouthwash. The three/four day turnover is so stressful on cabin attendants, though, that our "basket" did not arrive until the evening of our second day, leaving us with nothing but the pump shower gel and shampoo/conditioner combo, mounted inside the shower, for washing. The towels are rough and worn, and there are no washcloths provided, but you can get them if you ask.

Cabin lighting is poor on several fronts. In order to use the desk/vanity, for example, the entire cabin has to be lit with over-bright fluorescent lighting. The wall-mounted bedside lights present their own problems. If the beds are perpendicular as twins, one of the lights is on the side wall rather than overhead, and since they are not adjustable, this presents a major problem for that bed's occupant if he or she wants to do any reading. The other side of the wall has two lights over what would be the pillow area, but they are low enough so that if you prop yourself up to read, your head or pillow ends up covering them.

The extra-large Category 12 suites are located midship on Deck 6 (Upper Deck), and are nicely furnished with a bar, large sofa and full-sized whirlpool tub. The balcony is deep and wide, perfect for lazing around outdoors on warm days. The Category 11 suites are slightly smaller, located forward on Deck 11 (Verandah Deck) and, although similarly furnished, have a smaller balcony and no whirlpool tub.

Hint: Even though there are no prized aft balcony cabins, there are aft cabins with windows over the stern wake. Some of them are handicap-accessible rooms with a modified configuration and less closet space, but most are the same as the side cabins, albeit with a different (and unique) viewpoint.