Carnival Paradise Starts Year-Round Shorter Cruises from Tampa

Carnival Paradise Starts Year-Round Shorter Cruises from Tampa
By Theresa Norton Masek

Carnival Cruise Lines’ 2,052-passenger Carnival Paradise departed on its inaugural cruise from Tampa, Fla., on Dec. 12. The Paradise, which replaces the Carnival Inspiration, will operate four- and five-day Western Caribbean cruises year-round from the Port of Tampa.

Carnival Paradise departs Thursdays on four-day cruises to Cozumel and on Mondays and Saturdays on five-day voyages to Cozumel and Grand Cayman. The Carnival Inspiration is being deployed to Long Beach, Calif., to operate year-round three- and four-day cruises. Paradise joins the 2,124-passenger Carnival Legend, which sails year-round seven-day Caribbean voyages from Tampa.

Carnival is the only cruise line to offer year-round cruises from Tampa and has maintained a year-round presence since it launched seven-day Caribbean cruises in 1994.  Over the years, the company has expanded its presence at the Port of Tampa, adding newer and larger ships and offering a greater variety of itineraries.

This year, the Paradise and Legend are expected to carry an estimated 300,000 passengers from Tampa -- a 10-fold increase from Carnival’s first year of operations there.