I have wanted to go to Cuba my whole life, but it has been closed most of that time. I thought that my traveling days were over, but when my son gave me a Carnival gift card, I booked the first cruise to Cuba I could get. I was NOT disappointed! It was the last cruise for the Paradise before going into drydock for upgrades and improvements. I loved the ship even before the improvements. We had an oceanview cabin on the Main deck. There was some detouring for us because of ongoing construction, but it was not a problem for us except for some trouble at times finding a working elevator.

The dining was excellent. We chose the anytime option because we booked two long excursions and our timeline was uncertain. We were glad that we chose that option, although one night we waited quite a while for seating. (That was okay with us though because we had no plans for that evening.) Everything we ordered was very good. I especially enjoyed the frog's legs appetizer, stuffed pork chop, and roast duckling. I had a great omelet at the breakfast bar on the Lido deck, and I especially appreciated the full breakfast that was available for us on the day of disembarking. (On other cruises, we just got rolls and coffee.)

The entertainment was a pleasant surprise. We don't cruise for the entertainment, but this ship had a terrific Latin band that played on the Lido deck and in the Leonardo lounge at night. We also took in the evening show Amor Cubano, which was outstanding! This cruise provided a guest lecturer, Heidi, on Cuba and its sights and customs. She was terrific, giving us many valuable insights on what we would be seeing and doing. I heard one person at one of the lectures say that he could listen to her all day! Read more