It's been a week since we returned from our [June 2000] cruise aboard the Paradise, and I'm finally ready to summarize our experiences for those of you who, like me, appreciate a bit of information about the cruise they are contemplating. We've traveled twice before on Carnival vessels, and chose the Paradise after seriously scrutinizing RCI ships. However, the non-smoking aspect sold us. And, to that end, we were not disappointed. However, this ship is more than just a great place to breathe! It was a fantastic cruise experience, from start to finish.

We left home (Wisconsin) a day early, and enjoyed a relaxing evening in Miami, touring Bayside, and watching the ships in port from our balconied window of the Sheraton. We were especially glad to have chosen the Sheraton when, on Sunday morning, we discovered (between the hours of 9 and 11am) a Carnival agent who was able to process our boarding information, saving us time and energy at the port. She was pleasant and efficient, (we were a group of two families, ten people total) quickly handling our paperwork. This service is available to anyone sailing Carnival, not just those travelers who have purchased transfers with Carnival. From the Sheraton, we took a 5 minute cab ride to the pier, and in a light drizzle, carried our own luggage to the terminal (our choice). Little side note here-since our group consisted of 10 people, adults and teenagers, we opted to split up and take 3 cabs to the pier...our three fares differed by as much as $3, and the driver who took 3 of our teens hassled them loudly for not tipping enough-and theirs was the highest fare! That poor start was immediately eliminated when a gentleman (who, we learned, has a van service) approached us and asked if he might pick us up the following week, after our cruise, to return to the airport. His quoted fare was very reasonable, he asked for no money upfront (which we would have refused) and indeed, he was waiting for us when we disembarked in Miami a week later. For a large group, such as ours, this was perfect!

On to the ship! We bypassed the Skipper's Club, available for us as Cat. 12 travelers, since it was only 11:30, and no one was boarding yet. We spent about 3 minutes, going through security, picking up our Sail and Sign cards, and then waited very comfortably for embarkation to begin. About 12:15, we starting boarding, and by 12:30, we had found our suites, and starting settling in. What rooms! The closet space was tremendous, and the balcony was wonderful! While the suite itself is about as large as a standard hotel room, compared to the inside rooms we had taken in the past, this was ecstasy (no ship-pun intended). Read more