''Carnival Paradise'' (formerly ''Paradise'') is a operated by Carnival Cruise Line. Built by

Kværner Masa-Yards Kværner was a Norwegian engineering and construction services company that existed between 1853 and 2005. In 2004, it was amalgamated to the newly formed subsidiary of Aker ASA - Aker Kværner, which was renamed Aker Solutions on 3 April 2 ...

at its Helsinki New Shipyard in Helsinki, Finland, she was floated out on 29 January 1998, and christened as ''Paradise'' by Paula Zahn. During 2007, in common with all of her ''Fantasy''-class sisters, she had the prefix ''Carnival'' added to her name.

History

''Carnival Paradise'' was built to be the world's first completely non-smoking cruise ship and she was entered into service supported by several anti-smoking and cancer-prevention groups. "No smoking" signs were placed prominently on both sides of the ship and on the stern under the name. Non-smoking rules were strictly enforced. No smoking materials of any kind were permitted aboard. If anything was seen or found, the passenger was fined $250 and put off at the next port, with their transportation home under the passenger's own expense. Due to poor revenue, Carnival decided to discontinue the smoke-free policy in December 2003, claiming that non-smokers tend to not drink or gamble as much as those accustomed to smoke. Scheduled to arrive at the Port of Long Beach, California, on 20 September 2004, her arrival was delayed due to several major hurricanes (see

2004 Atlantic hurricane season The 2004 Atlantic hurricane season was a very deadly, destructive, and extremely active Atlantic hurricane season, with over 3,200 deaths and more than $61 billion (2004 USD, $95.77 billion 2022 USD) in damage. More than half of the 16 ...

). Her cruise through the Caribbean and Panama Canal, and up the Mexican coast was further hindered by more hurricanes. After having skirted the bad weather with minimal inconvenience, ''Paradise'' arrived at the Long Beach cruise terminal in the early morning. Later that day, the non-smoking signs were painted over. In 2021, she was repainted into Carnival's new livery.

Service history

After her arrival in Long Beach, she undertook 3-day and 4-day cruises to

Ensenada, Mexico Ensenada is a city in Ensenada Municipality, Baja California, situated on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Located on the Bahía de Todos Santos, the city had a population of 279,765 in 2018, making it the third-largest city in Baja California. The ...

and

Santa Catalina Island, California Santa Catalina Island ( xgf, Pimuu'nga or ; es, Isla Santa Catalina) is a rocky island off the coast of Southern California in the Gulf of Santa Catalina. The island name is often shortened to Catalina Island or just Catalina. The island is l ...

. In late 2011, Carnival moved ''Carnival Paradise'' to Tampa, replacing the '' Carnival Inspiration'', which went to California. Currently, ''Carnival Paradise'' takes 4 and 5 night voyages to Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico. The ship also used to sail to

Havana, Cuba Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

and

Key West, Florida Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Isla ...

on select sailings from 2017 to 2019. In 2018, she underwent a month-long dry dock in Freeport, Bahamas, which added a 14th deck to the front of the ship to accommodate 38 new cabins.

Gallery

Image:Ms-paradise-sm.jpg, MS ''Paradise'' Image:Ms-paradise-ensenada-sm.jpg, MS ''Paradise''. Night at the

port Image:Ms-paradise-rex-sm.jpg, The 18 and older REX Dance Club Image:Pool-area-lido-deck-sm.jpg, The pool area on the

Lido Deck In British English, a lido ( , ) is a public outdoor swimming pool and surrounding facilities, or part of a beach where people can swim, lie in the sun, or participate in water sports. On a cruise ship or ocean liner, the lido deck feature ...

Image:Ms-paradise-america-bar-sm.jpg, The America Bar, set for tea service Image:Carnival Paradise 20100216.JPG, ''Paradise'' from Avalon, Catalina

References

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

Official websiteCarnival Paradise Photo Gallery
{{Carnival Cruise Line Paradise Fantasy-class cruise ships 1998 ships Ships built in Helsinki