 After a nutritious breakfast consisting of Burger King Cinni Mini's and chocolate milk, both kids were pumped for our rollerblading adventure. The way our luck had been going, Greg was afraid one of them would fall and break an arm or a leg, so he nervously assists Brooklyn to guard from any mishaps. He recovered from his ear ailment during the night and was determined we would all stay in good shape for our Miami departure. |
Parked behind the Carnival Destiny, the ship we cruised on two years ago, the Paradise looked somewhat small, but we were still excited to be going on a non-smoking ship. Upon arrival at the port, our luck did not change just yet as Brooklyn left her new fashion-pink sunglasses in the rental car. Waiting for the Alamo bus to check for them proved futile as no glasses were found. |
 Finally inside the terminal, we enjoyed our experience with the Skipper's Club. All suite guests become part of this club which includes an escort onto the boat. The real advantage, however, was the escort did all of the paperwork getting our cabin keys, etc. so we didn't have to stand in line with the other 2500 passengers.
Just before boarding, we stop for the traditional departure photo. Brooklyn's dolly manages to sneak into the picture as well. |
 Once on board, finding our suite is no problem for both kids who race down the hallway looking for U104. Each time before we entered the room, we had to figure out whose turn it was to "open the door" using their personal card key. |
|
|
 Though Brooklyn wasn't tall enough to pass the slide criteria, she remained excited looking forward to just swimming. Unfortunately, the sun didn't stay out long as the first two days of the cruise were cloud-covered and a little colder than we expected. |
|
|
 The 2800 square foot children's room was equipped with a sand art dispenser, spin art machines, Nintendo 64, 10 I-Mac computers, etc. Despite the great environment, the kids spent little time there as Camp Carnival split 5 and 6 year olds into different groups. Since Preston and Brooklyn didn't want to be split, they didn't go to many of the activities. |
|
|
 Participating in the mandatory life boat drill just after leaving dock includes putting on our life jackets and proceeding to our muster stations. Two years ago, we hid in our cabin thinking we could skip the drill. Imagine our surprise when our room steward came in to check and found us there. Not wanting to be embarrassed again, this time we were the first ones to our muster station. We skipped the dining room dinner that night in lieu of room service and watching the sunset. |
Greeted by bon voyage decorations and a beautiful, tropical flower arrangement, both kids are glad to get in the room. Though the suite was considerably smaller than the one on the Destiny, it was cozy and still gave them their own area.
The back of the ship was equipped with a children's pool and playground, both of which the children spent a lot of time on. The rough seas the first two days made the pool into more of a wave pool which the children loved.
As we left the dock and traveled down the channel, Preston spots this vehicle travelling down the road. He noted that it was a pirate 6-wheeler truck. He truly was fascinated by this vehicle which held about 25 people in the glass dome."Fun Day at Sea" | Cruise Home Page | Home Page
