went on the paradise for a 7 day western caribbean cruise. left from phoenix arizona on saturday using the fly and sail option thru carnival. arrived in miami and stayed at the wyndham airport hotel.

embarkation: due to tightened security the line to get on the ship took about 30 minutes.... boarded the ship and went to our cabin (u49) found it to be spacious and comfortable. we had an oceanview and recommend it to everyone. it is nice to lookout at the ocean when you get up in the morning or just leave the curtains open at night and view the stars. left to go to the safety drill at around 4pm (20 minutes) and returned to our cabin to find all our luggage had arrived. set sail at 4pm....went to meet our dinner companions in the elation dining room (early seating 6:15)...

food and dining: the food in the elation dining room was excellent. wife is a vegetarian and she had very good selections on the menu each meal...the food was very good and well prepared and the presentation was very appealing. our head waiter, alejandro, and assistant pedro were very friendly and efficient. we ate dinner in the elation room every night and had snacks at the paris restaurant during the day....

ship: the ship was very easy to get around and well laid out. the decor was very nice and festive.

weather: we were a little concerned about the weather when we booked the cruise back in february since it was the beginning of hurricane season . we had great weather ..it was around 85 degrees our entire trip except in ocho rios where it was very hot and humid. we ended up swimming in the ocean to beat the heat and humidity.

ports: our first port was cozumel where we went to passion island. there we went swimming in the ocean and had lunch. we had a great time and the water temp was perfect ....second was the grand caymans where we went swimming at the colony beach hotel...it rained for about 15 minutes there and that was the only rain we had during the cruise...final port was ocho rios where we went shopping at margaritaville and went swimming in the ocean there.

entertainment: the shows at the normandie room were great...josh ,the cruise director was very funny and witty....the talent show on the last day was very good and entertaining....lounge shows were the best...the "just du-ets" were top notch and had a different show each night from rock & roll, country, to easy listening...also the hi-lites in the queen mary lounge played music from the 60- 70's.....there was room to dance at both lounges...there was also a lounge reserved just for teens where no adults were permitted. it was full of teens every night and they all seemed to be enjoying themselves.

photos: we highly recommend that you take advantage of the many ship photographers who are ready to take your picture throughout out the ship.. it's free to have your picture taken you only pay for the ones you want to purchase...

recap: this was a great cruise...the food was great, the weather was great, the non-smoking was the icing on the cake, the crew and entertainment were outstanding. we recommend this cruise to everyone....carnival does a great job for a great value....there is something for everyone on this cruise whether you are very active or just looking to relax and unwind.