We cruised on a ship with really bad reviews

[@Explorcation]

Who's ready to test out some 1 ⭐ reviews with us 😆

[@brittany838]

Anything less than 3.5 stars automatically scares me away 🙈 It doesn't matter if it's a hotel/resort, attractions, or restaurantt, so I'm very intrigued and looking forward to watching the premiere!

[@Explorcation]

@@brittany838thanks so much for watching with us!

[@Parkhopper1985]

I subscribe to many cruise vloggers and no one else did a video like this testing specific poor reviews. Fun video.

[@Explorcation]

We're glad you found this video to be unique and enjoyable! We wanted to find a fun way to make content on some of the less popular, older ships without being overly negative. We had a lot of fun making this one, and hope to do many more 1-star ship reviews in the future!

[@Explorcation]

@@TomTom-bh2wf TBD...the Keys have been on our list for a while and the Key West Express has been on our radar 😁 we will get there!

[@Explorcation]

@@TomTom-bh2wf we are too, we know it will be a fun series to film when we get there!

[@ryanladendorf1678]

Thanks for sharing! I have been on 2 Carnival cruises, and as for me personally, were 2 of the best vacations I've ever had. They were on the Conquest and the Magic. So ready to go again! Have a blessed week!

[@Explorcation]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. We always had lot of fun on Carnival ships too :)

[@mdduet]

Thanks for what sounds like a really thoughtful and honest review. You didn't allow one or two small things to ruin your entire experience. Very balanced. I cruise Carnival because I enjoy the total experience on their ships. Their hard working crew has always treated us great.

[@Explorcation]

Thanks so much for watching and for your feedback, we weren't going to let a few things ruin our good time :) we are happy to hear you've had good experiences on Carnival, especially with their crew!

[@bryantsteury8910]

"No seat" in a cruise room is like "no bidet" in a vegas hotel room at a budget hotel. You ain't there for that. Great video guys!! And I'm with you Skyler, it's 70 or below at night for me or else I'm up all night

[@Explorcation]

Exactly. No reason to be spending time sitting around in your interior stateroom... but not being able to sleep sure can ruin a vacation.

[@winelion1318]

We booked an inside cabin ( our first one) on Carnival Paradise for December 2024 and have been looking various KZbin reviews, and this has been the most informative! We're always causeous about 1 star reviews. Granted, some have merit, but certainly not as bad as 1 star. There's going to be no comparison to our last cruise (we had a Retreat class aft suite on Celebrity Silhouette) but we did do a short cruise on the Carnival Freedom (ocean view, aka porthole) and had a blast. Entertainment was outstanding and the house band was one of the best I've seen anywhere. Thanks for a realistic approach in this review!

[@Explorcation]

Thank you so much for your feedback, we were hoping to find a balance between an episode that is informative, but also entertaining. This was a totally new format for us so we really appreciate your comment. You are right, a Celebrity Retreat experience is going to be nothing like the Carnival Paradise. We appreciate Celebrity cruises for relaxation and excellent dining experiences, but gosh Carnival knows how to entertain! It is fun to experience different ships/cruiselines because each is a different experience.

[@kimberlyroberts1644]

Thanks for this. I watch a lot of cruise content and found your video to be fresh and new. I enjoyed your energy, honesty, and plain speaking.

[@Explorcation]

Thank you so much for watching and for sharing your feedback. We hope to create similar content in the future!

[@edwardlatwinas3131]

Very good review on the cruise ship. I really enjoy this video. You guys do a great job. Love you guys.

[@Explorcation]

Thank you so much, Edward! This was a totally new style of video for us, and we're really glad you enjoyed it!

[@lisapolanski9379]

Hilarious 😂😂😂😂 I actually have no desire to go on a cruise (fear of heights, fear of being at sea, don't like crowds) but I loved this video. You two are making some fantastic travel videos!!!!! Keep it up!

[@Explorcation]

We so appreciate you watching even when you have no desire to cruise. We were hoping to create an episode that could be enjoyed by both cruisers and non-cruisers!

[@notafanboy250]

What a great original idea to "test" 1-star reviews. It was very useful. Thanks for sharing.

[@Explorcation]

Thanks for watching! We've seen other creators test 1 star reviews for different things like restaurants, hotels and theme parks, but hadn't seen anyone try it on a cruise ship so we thought why not?

[@apriltenille7649]

This is such a balanced and thorough review! Thank you 👍🏽👍🏽

[@Explorcation]

Thank you so much for this encouraging comment. We're really glad you enjoyed this video.

[@66beanscoffee]

What a fun concept! This should turn into a series. I haven't seen it done before.

[@Explorcation]

Thank you so much for the feedback, we've been paying attention to comments to determine if we should test out more 1-star reviews in the future 😊

[@danacevedo4650]

Great video! We've been on about 9 Carnival vacations. Very happy to hear you BUSTED these myths about this great cruise line. Also, we never experienced these 1 star review scenarios either. If you like to have FUN this is definitely the right choice! Also, great service, lots of good eats, quality entertainment in comedy clubs, shows, outdoor movies, casino and most importantly at a Good Price!

[@Explorcation]

Dang you guys are Carnival vets! It had been a while since we sailed on Carnival so we weren't quite sure what we were in for, but we really did have an awesome time and will absolutely sail with them again. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

[@GG-ku4tq]

Headed out in Dec for a Friendsgiving Cruise with a group! Thank you for your opinion and showing us what to expect! We’re excited🚢

[@Explorcation]

Sounds like a great way to do Friendsgiving! Hope you all have an awesome time!

[@conniebreck1812]

I love your videos. Your content was exactly what I was looking for.

[@Explorcation]

We're so happy to hear that! Thanks for watching.

[@QueenMuva]

Thank you for this review. I appreciate you addressing specific reviews

[@Explorcation]

Our pleasure. Thank you for watching!

[@scareddog5450]

This was definitely a fun format and you two seemed to enjoy doing it! I dare you to try the Margaritaville cruise now that it’s based in Tampa and do the same thing! 😵

[@Explorcation]

Aww thank you for the feedback, this was more fun to film when compared to our typical tour episodes. The current Margaritaville ship out of Tampa would be another good 1-star review candidate 😆

[@sandraclayton4998]

I love people watching. I like watching people having a good time.

[@Explorcation]

Thanks for watching!

[@lisapolanski9379]

I could never climb that spiral staircase to get to the water slide, way up high over the ocean. Those children are fearless (and you two.) What an experience.

[@Explorcation]

We were surprised at how windy it was on the staircase, but the views from the top were worth it :)

[@LucasWorldTravel]

Cute format guys! And congrats on growing to nearly 40K! You guys are growing so fast! Keep it up! I love how you draw the line at slow water slides. 😂 No slow slides for you! Looks like a fun time though!

[@Explorcation]

Thanks so much for the feedback, we had a lot of fun with this new format :) Skylar and his slide expectations 😆

[@shellysnodgrass9546]

IM SO GLAD YOU DID THIS VIDEO !! ! ! ! ! ! !!

[@Explorcation]

Thank you, Shelly!

[@kj158]

Love the idea of testing 1 star reviews! I was so excited to see your video (and we’ve seen all of your videos) that I couldn’t wait to watch! So fun and informative and we love the review busting or proving concept! ❤

[@Explorcation]

Thank you so much for the feedback 😀 this was a whole new type of episode for us so we appreciate you taking the time to let us know your thoughts!

[@jasonlangdon709]

Carnival Paradise was our very first cruise in 2000! It has great memories for us! At that time it was a completely "non-smoking" ship. We still love Carnival after 33 cruises, and especially their new MDR menus introduced last year.

[@Explorcation]

Oh wow I never knew that Carnival did a completely non-smoking ship. Very interesting! We know this is far from Carnival's best ship, but we still enjoyed ourselves quite a bit. Definitely will be excited to sail on a newer Carnival ship sometime in the future. Which one has been your favorite?

[@coralpetals]

Very fun video. Question about the fridge. Did you have to replace it yourself, and if so, how difficult was that?

[@Explorcation]

Nope, we never even complained about it, they just happened to replace it in the middle of our cruise. It seems like they were in the process of replacing quite a few of them.

[@Andrew-3445]

You guys confirmed what my Travel Agent Aunt says about Carnival, which is "That's the cruise line for the rowdy party people". Too bad about such a small pool and a hot tub so small that people only put their legs in.

[@Explorcation]

😆Carnival is definitely the "FUN" ship, but this one could have used an extra pool!

[@brittany838]

This was a very fun video to watch. I put a lot of faith in reviews, especially for hotels/resorts for my family. Lower stars, like 3.5 and under, typically scare me away. I always wonder if the bad reviews are true though and wonder if it's worth a lower star hotel to save some money. Also, have the bad reviews prompted any positive changes by the hotel owners that are not reflected in the review section yet? I need to keep in mind that people are more likely to leave a review for a terrible experience, than they will for a great experience. I think people are also more likely to exaggerate when they are upset or inconvenienced. Fantastic video! I look forward to every new video from you guys and can't wait for more content! ❤

[@Explorcation]

Thank you so much Brittany for joining us and sharing your thoughts. We agree that people are way more likely to leave a review when they have a bad experience. We were really curious to see what we would find testing out some of the reviews. I do think someone was listening to reviews in regards to those mini fridges 😆 we just happened to be on the sailing when they switched a bunch out!

[@rayh7105]

I like this experimental video, and i would like to see more. We booked with MSC based on your reviews, and we are looking forward to that cruise!

[@Explorcation]

Thank you so much for the feedback! We had a lot of fun filming this episode, and thought the final product shared some great footage of what it is like sailing on an older ship. We hope to find some more opportunities to test reviews in the future.

[@teresadistasi8037]

Great video! Thanks for sharing 😊

[@Explorcation]

Our pleasure. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment!

[@TheAverageTourist]

I've never sailed on Carnival, but I'd like to try them one day. Haha the sardine scale!! Haha the martini spill rating - too funny. Honestly seemed like a pretty good time to me!

[@Explorcation]

Let us know when you do decide to try it out. Even with all of the 1 star reviews on this ship, we had a good time.

[@truthalways8071]

I'm only halfway through but I like the fun music in the background and you speak very clearly a lot of good fun information

[@Explorcation]

Thank you so much for watching and for your feedback. We wanted to try something a little different - a little fun, but also informative.

[@Sillygoose2004]

Great video good job 👍

[@Explorcation]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@valariealbert5275]

The video was blank on my screen until I tapped it. Just incase it's blank on your end. Love your videos!

[@Explorcation]

Thanks for letting us know, hopefully it was just a glitch in the system. We appreciate you watching!

[@daleheiserjr]

Great Video, thank you for sharing!!!

[@Explorcation]

Thanks for watching, we're glad you enjoyed it!

[@toddjones1403]

Love the quirky humor…….Skyler🍸🥃🍷

[@Explorcation]

Thanks for watching and for the feedback 🍻😀

[@bryantsteury8910]

"People dosed off because they were too drunk!" Imagine complaining people were quiet and asleep. I get they're taking up a chair but aside from that, they're quiet, not bothering anyone, and taking up room for people who MIGHT be. I wish I passed by a pool deck of sleepy people, take the pool for myself

[@Explorcation]

Yeah, some of those reviews really made us shake our heads. But I'm with you, the less people awake on the ship while I am the better... regardless of where/why they may be sleeping.

[@JillianaMariah]

I guess for those that don't have a lot of cash to spend on a cruise and want to go on one this isn't too bad. It's is a bit low budget compared to some of the others that you have been on. It would be an experience though. Thanks for the amazing video again as always.

[@Explorcation]

Yea we thought it was a fun experience for a lower budget for sure, we'd definitely go again :)

[@big3fan916]

I have neeeeeever been on a cruise ship , with that said - I bet booking a cruise on this ship is cheaper than booking on the larger newer ships ( don't know this as fact ) It looks like you get what you pay for ! good video !

[@Explorcation]

The older ships, full of character 😆 do often tend to be cheaper. Thanks so much for watching!

[@gustofpv4470]

You had me at chocolate melting cake......

[@Explorcation]

It is sooo good 😁

[@genehinders9639]

Very good video addressing the issues others have had...just goes to show you that when reading reviews take in all the comments and average them out. If there's a definitive trend in the comments then that would weigh more heavily towards being a problem.

[@Explorcation]

Exactly, we are really glad we didn't let the negative reviews keep us away!

[@trainsplanesandotherthings5187]

But still 1000 times better than the Margaritaville... The Paradise is a good ship for 1st time cruisers... if you are a seasoned cruiser used to the more modern ships ..maybe its not for you... That being said .my very 1st cruising experience was on the Paradise over 15 years ago .. we had a blast..Since then we've sailed on NCL. Royal and others ..

[@Explorcation]

We've never been on Margaritaville Paradise and have heard not so great things about that ship, but we actually loved the Islander. Completely different experience than the Carnival Paradise. Both have their pros and cons. We enjoyed our time on both cruises.

[@fosteringleaders9872]

Loved the video! I have taken 15 cruises, Carnival Paradise was the cheapest, and like the saying goes you get what you pay for. I am not saying it was bad. I loved it. It was as you described, clean, dated but nice, and the entertainment was not impressive but it was good. The food was good, not the best, since cruise food quality has been declining over the years unfortunately in all cruise lines. I had a great time, The room attendant, main dining room servers, and other staff were great. For the price (less than 100 a night) it was great. In luxury cruises you get better food, more things included like specialty coffee, and internet, you have more pools and more hot tubs yes, but for the price it was a good experience. Oh, and if you see me sleeping in a pool lounge, I ate too much pizza. I don't drink. Also there is something called napping. People are so judgy! 😊

[@Explorcation]

Thank you so much for watching and sharing your experience, it sounds like yours was very similar to ours. We thought that for the price, it was a a really great time. You can't pay for a budge experience and expect something comparable to the luxury cruises!

[@genehinders9639]

I think that towel creature in your room is the aptly named Elifiknow.

[@Explorcation]

😆

[@Destinations2see]

Good idea to test 1-star reviews! I recently slept on a boat too, but it was moored to the quay wall. My video review is completely starless though, which doesn't mean the boat was bad...

[@Explorcation]

Thanks! We definitely had fun filming this one. The hotel you stayed at in Denmark looked pretty cool, although a much different experience :)

[@CC-oq2mj]

What the website you were showing in the video with all the cruises listed? Thank you in advance.

[@Explorcation]

Most likely it was Vacations to Go. They have an awesome search tool that we use all the time when searching for the best cruise deals. We often book through them as well!

[@jlpickering3881]

Good watch!

[@Explorcation]

Thank you!!

[@cruisecrazy7066]

Going down the water slide, just tell your kids to put butter on their butts. They will fly like angels.

[@Explorcation]

😆

[@6431harry]

I have been only on one cruise. That was Carnival. I can't remember the name of the Carnival ship. I was so happy to be off. Not that it was a horrible ship, just not my cup of tea. I loved all my other trips with the all inclusive resorts in Mexico. I had such a great time in the Mexican resorts. We had the drink package and it was not the experience I thought I would have. So do you always sign after every drink on other cruise lines? This was a huge pet peeve of mine. Your entertainment was so much better than mine. The comedian on our cruise made this lady cry and I left.the show. The entertainment was minimal. I maybe would go again if I could go to a private island and then sail back. It wouldn't be on Carnival.

[@Explorcation]

We know cruising isn't for everyone, but the experience can vary quite a bit based on which cruise line and even cruise ship you sail on. From what we remember, when we've had the drink package on MSC, Celebrity, Royal and Norwegian in the past, we did not have to sign for every drink. We remember only having to sign if we were ordering something that was actually charged to our account (for example a drink that costs beyond what was included in the drink package). When/if you are ready to try another cruise line there are quite a few options out of Florida that go to private islands. We hope you have a much better experience if you do give another cruise line a try.

[@shellysnodgrass9546]

LOL we smelled pot on royal and celebrity ! LMAO ! ! !

[@Explorcation]

Yeah... pot smokers don't seem to discriminate when it comes to cruise lines 😂

[@garyK.45ACP]

We took a 5 day cruise on the Paradise out of Tampa in November, 2022. I wasn't impressed, but it was hardly horrible. Overall, the room was clean, the service was great (our cabin steward was awesome!), the food was good, the entertainment was good and our ports of call were great. Our room had no "refrigerator" in the room. It's a sort of cooler with a cold plate at the back. If you are diabetic or have other medicines which must be kept cold, place them right against the plate at the rear of the refrigerator. If you are looking for glitz and glamour, this ain't it. I'd rate it a 3.5, just because there are better choices, not because I regretted the cruise. TBH, since then we have had 2 cruises on MSC and those were better, not because Paradise was terrible, but because MSC has so much better prices. We haven't been disappointed with MSC.

[@Explorcation]

You are right, if you are looking for glitz and glamour you are going to be disappointed. We are happy to hear you'd give the Paradise a 3.5 (and not 1 😆) but also that you've had good experiences on MSC. It is hard for us to pass on good cruise deals and MSC has had some great ones lately.

[@garyK.45ACP]

@@Explorcation And _your_ video on the MSC Seaside before we boarded our cruise made me feel like I knew right where to go and where to find everything! Our next MSC cruise is also on the Seaside, but it is now sailing from Miami and has a different itinerary. It's a little farther to drive (we live near port Canaveral) but we wanted to visit the ports on that itinerary.

[@Explorcation]

@@garyK.45ACP we are so glad our Seaside video was helpful. Those MSC ships are huge, and it can take awhile to get oriented. We hope you enjoy the Miami itinerary!

[@roan6125]

Great video but I think all cruise ships will have 1 star reviews especially from website such as cruise critic.

[@Explorcation]

Yea you are probably right, but as far as the Paradise, the 1 star reviews weren't hard to find. Thankfully it did seem like some of the feedback had been received by the company was making some improvements.

[@cruisecrazy7066]

Just because money was stolen on one cruise does not mean that it will happen on YOUR criose.

[@Explorcation]

Very true!

[@sandraclayton4998]

Most of the pools are crowded. 2000 people and 1 or maybe 2 poolls. Go to a resort if you want a less crowded pool.

[@Explorcation]

True, most pools on cruise ships tend to be crowded.... but there are definitely some ships where the pools tend to be even more crowded than others. We agree that if you really want to not have to deal with a crowded pool, you are better off booking a resort. Thanks for watching.

[@adamsaldana5462]

I had my heart broken on my last cruise. So the ship would literally have to sink for it to be worse than that one.

[@Explorcation]

So sorry to hear that, Adam. We're sure your next cruise will be a much better experience, assuming you decide to give cruising another chance.

[@shellysnodgrass9546]

omg ! so yo doze off by the pool ! ! ! i doze off everywhere ! ! ! ! ! especially by the pool and i dont drink !

[@Explorcation]

LOL exactly!

[@zeropressureacoustic7255]

Looks like the bed wasn't made very well. There are way too many wrinkles in the bed sheets. Thrown together and not up to bed standards of a cheap motel.

[@Explorcation]

Yeah Jamie had commented on the bed as soon as we walked into the room. Thankfully our room attendant was great outside of his bed making skills!

[@shellysnodgrass9546]

well ALLPOOLS on ALL SHIPS get crowded and packed on a sea day ! On any ship

[@Explorcation]

Yeah, pretty much!!

[@BobCarlson]

I’ve lived a funny life where I often stayed in 5 star hotels for work and some pretty sketchy places traveling on my personal vacations. I seldom have any complaints either way. But at this stage in life I think I’ll pass on this ship in favor of some of those others you’ve shown.

[@Explorcation]

We can absolutely relate, Bob. I've always kinda thought that you have to consistently experience those not so nice places in order to really appreciate the nice ones. It's also good to remind yourself that the "bad" places are never really that bad. All that said, I don't blame ya one bit for passing on the Paradise when there's so many other ships out there to chose from.

[@20041027redsox]

How old are some of those comments? I feel some are outdated especially ones about cleanliness and sanitization.

[@Explorcation]

I think most of them are fairly current but a few could be older, but we couldn't tell you the exact ages of any of them without digging back through Cruise Critic. It very well could be that the cleanliness issues were a thing of the past. We hope so!

[@20041027redsox]

@@Explorcation Of course. Sadly not everyone can be pleased and many just love to complain. If some of these issues were so bad, those folks should've let on-board staff know. I can't imagine things being so bad on a ship of a major cruise line that warrants a one-star rating. Maybe I'm weird like that haha.

[@Explorcation]

@@20041027redsox we would like to hope that the 1 star reviewers also shared their experiences with the cruise staff, but who knows

[@cruisinkoozies]

It’s more of the nasty passengers not washing hands after using restroom or before going to the buffet and leaving plates of food all over the ship…..don’t get me started how people care when on vacation 😳

[@dannykerhoulas4017]

You are on vacation. If you want to take a nap by the pool for any reason you should have the right.

[@Explorcation]

Could not agree more, Danny!

[@shellysnodgrass9546]

buffet? WHo wants to serve themselves on vacation ! ! ! GUYS and BLUE Iguana daily an di ate breakfast and dinner in the MDR ! ! !

[@Explorcation]

Yes, Guys and Blue Iguana are definitely the way to go!

[@izokv]

Fun

[@Explorcation]

It was a fun episode to film :) thanks for watching!

[@trainsplanesandotherthings5187]

Just sounds like a bunch of Spoiled folks that complain about the most smallest things.. "waited 20 minutes for an Appetizer"... Well... Mandyk you do realize you are not the only one on the ship right? The cooks & the staff have to serve thousands of meals per day... so excuse me that it took over 20 minutes...you just sound like an over entitled American.. These people work 12-14 hr days 7 days a week..

[@Explorcation]

Yeah, I always try not to be critical of the staff on cruise ships. They are definitely over-worked and under-paid.

[@coralpetals]

Very fun video. Question about the fridge. Did you have to replace it yourself, and if so, how difficult was that?

[@Explorcation]

Nope, we never even complained about it, they just happened to replace it in the middle of our cruise. It seems like they were in the process of replacing quite a few of them.

[@coralpetals]

@@Explorcation Thanks for the reply and sorry if I wasn’t clear. I wasn’t asking if you had requested a new one. I was asking if you had to physically switch out the fridge that was left outside yourself and, if so, how difficult was that to do. Thanks again for your replies!

[@Explorcation]

@@coralpetals Oh thanks for clarifying. We did not have to switch it out. They did it for us.

[@coralpetals]

@@Explorcation Wonderful!