Carnival Paradise is back in service today, sailing from Port Tampa Bay.  An extensive dry dock added a variety of spaces and innovations, including a water park, new staterooms, balconies added to existing accommodations, and a bunch of exciting food and beverage concepts.  It’s great news for cruise travelers.  The month-long refurbishment brings features from some of the newest Carnival ships to the one and only remaining Fantasy class vessel that had not received a stroke of the Funship 2.0 brush.  Let’s look at those new Carnival Paradise features first, then I will tell you why I am a little bit sorry they were added.

Ten new Carnival Paradise features added during dry dock include:

1. Guy’s Burger Joint: a free-of-charge poolside venue developed in partnership with Food Network personality Guy Fieri serving hand-crafted burgers and fresh-cut fries enjoyed amidst a décor that celebrates the chef’s California roots and love of car culture.
2. RedFrog Rum Bar: a poolside watering hole offering the quintessential Caribbean vacation vibe with refreshing Caribbean rum-based frozen drinks and beers, including Carnival’s own private label draught brew, ThirstyFrog Red.
3. BlueIguana Cantina: a complimentary poolside Mexican eatery where guests can enjoy authentic freshly made burritos and tacos on homemade tortillas, as well as an elaborate toppings and salsa bar.
4. BlueIguana Tequila Bar:  a fun and festive outdoor bar offering a laid-back Mexican-themed atmosphere and tequila-based frozen drinks and beers, perfect for chillin’ by the pool.
5. Camp Ocean: a colorful marine-inspired play area designed for kids ages 2-11 that showcases the wonders of the sea through engaging interiors and more than 200 ocean-themed activities and science-oriented programming.
6. Circle “C”: designed for the 12- to 14-year-old set, this colorful space offers the perfect space for kids to chill and connect as well as enjoy dance parties, video games and more.
7. New Staterooms and Enhancements: Thirty-eight staterooms have been added – two Grand Vista suites offering floor-to-ceiling windows, 22 junior suites, two scenic oceanview and 12 interior accommodations.  Private verandahs have also been added to 98 existing accommodations, creatingspacious new 230-square-foot balcony staterooms. All staterooms offer new island-inspired interiors with bright colors and soothing pastels inspired by the ship’s tropical itineraries.
8. WaterWorks Aqua Park: Located on Verandah Deck, this expansive all-ages water park features an enclosed 300-foot-long Twister water slide full of exhilarating twists and turns, two 82-foot-long racing slides, and a kiddie splash zone.
9. Miniature Golf Course: A nine-hole miniature golf course has been relocated to Deck 14, providing a fun and relaxing pastime for families to enjoy in the fresh sea air.
10. Retail and Photo Enhancements:  The retail shops have been completely reimagined with a new design and enhanced product offerings with multiple branded boutiques, including Pandora and Guess.  The printed photo gallery has been replaced with a digital Pixels-branded platform that allows guests to identify and purchase images via their smartphones or at a nearby kiosk.

New Carnival Paradise
I’m A Little Sorry About This

Those ten new features are all good stuff that will be attract loyal Carnival fans who absolutely would not sail the popular features.  They will experience much of what is offered on ships much larger too. Still, there is a part of me that will miss the original style Fantasy class ship as I experienced it sailing to Cuba last year.
A little bit.
Not much.
Time marches on and things change.  Still, this was a great time in our lives.

[soliloquy slug="carnival-fantasy-class-2002"]

Off that little trip down memory late and on to bigger and better things.  I’ll trade you a teak deck for a Guy burger any day!  Speaking of which….

…I also remember seeing a few bewildered faces on past guests the first day of that cruise before the drydock.  That was when they could not find Guy’s Burger Joint, a highlight of other sailings on other ships.  It had not been added yet.  Got it. Sad no longer.

Learn More About
New Carnival Paradise

 

• ITINERARY OVERVIEW- Carnival Paradise sail’s year-round from Tampa on a five-day Caribbean cruise to Cozumel and Grand Cayman, alternating with four-day sailings to Cozumel and five-day cruises to Cozumel and Mahogany Bay (Roatan), Key West or Grand Cayman.  The ship also offers four- to eight-day cruises to Cuba featuring day-long and overnight calls in Havana.  Carnival’s Tampa-based offerings include Carnival Miracle’s year-round six- and seven-day cruises visiting beautiful ports throughout the western Caribbean, as well as eight-day voyages that include a partial transit of the Panama Canal.
• PRICING– New Carnival Paradise continues to be a great value sailing from Port Tampa Bay. 4-day sailings start at $244 per person.
• VIDEO- This video from 2010 gives us a good idea of what new Carnival Paradise looked like long before being remodeled…and that is all I have to say about it.  Time for a burger?