Me and my husband sailed on the Paradise on January 3rd, 1999. We live in Roanoke Va. and flew out of tha airport. We had a bad ice storm the night before and our early 6am flight was canceled. We managed to get on another airline that did not leave until 10:00 am. We had problems with our connection also in Atlanta and finally got on the flight that we were orignally scheduled for and made it to the Ft. Lauderdale airport at 3:00pm that afternoon.

Our ship was scheduled to leave at 4:00pm and we wondered if we were going to make it in time since we had to be bused from the Ft. Lauderdale airport to the pier in Miami. Our luggage also did not arrive with the plane. It seems it never left the airport in Roanoke. We were met by a Carnival Rep. who was extremely helpful in getting the luggage problem straightened out. Our luggage was to be forwarded to our first cruise stop which was Cozumel and it did finally arrive when we arrived there. But we were not able to attend dinner on the first formal night, which greatly upset us.

The Paradise is a smoke free ship and I only heard one complaint about that from a table mate who did smoke and was asked not to smoke on the pier. It was great being on our first cruise and not having to worry about smoke. The ship is very beautiful and well laid out so that everything is easy to access. (I have posted pictures of the ship on my website at: www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/5608) The service on board was impeccable. I can't say enough for the staff and cabin steward that we had. The ship was very clean and well maintained. The first three days out we had bad weather and the ship rocked and rolled. fortunately neither of us got seasick. We thought the activities were a little limited in some areas but having bad weather did put a damper on some of that. Food was very good. We ate in the Paris restaurant alot and it was good to have that alternate to the dining room as my husband is a picky eater. 

The ports of call could have been better. In Cozumel our first stop our ship was the only one able to get into the port having the dual stabilizers helps. We could not do much there except shop which we did and really enjoyed. We came home with a lot of bargains. We wish we could have seen more of the island there. The Grand Cayman was really nice and we had better weather there and were able to go snorkeling even though the water was a little choppy, it was our first time and we really liked it and plan to do again. We also visited the town of Hell and the turtle farm. We enjoyed this tour but wished it had been a little longer. Jamaica is a beautiful country and I had been there before which is why I chose the western cruise. A lot of people do not like this country, but I find the people very interesting and cultural. I hired our guide in Jamaica before we left home thanks to someone here on the internet who was kind enough to give me his name and number. He took us up into the hills behind Ocho Rios and showed us many plants and fruits that they grow there. I am not a gardener, but it was amazing the vegetation that they have and the herbs. He was very informative and helpful. Anyone who is interested in hiring him can email me and I will send you his number. His name is Peat Taylor.

We found the cruise to be a great value and would go again, but next time we will try a four day instead of a seven day cruise because the three days at sea, we felt were too much. We would recommend this cruise and Carnival to anyone. They were great and it was a great ship. They also credited our sign and sail card for $100 for our late luggage even though it was not their fault. Please feel free to email me with questions at: kingx31@home.net

Lori King