Live · sailing at 4 kn · Tampa
Carnival Cruise Line · CCL FANTASY
Carnival Paradise
Guests
2,124 – 2,546
Crew
920
Cabins
1,061
Length
262 m
Space ratio
28
Homeport pattern
Tampa
Where she is right now
En route · Tampa· 8/31/2026, 9:59:47 AM· Course 10°
Position
27.93°N, 82.45°W
Heading
10° · COG 10°
Speed
4 kn
Destination
Tampa
Our take · opinion
Short Fun Ship, classic bones
We experience Carnival Paradise as the last Fantasy-class Fun Ship: Tampa-friendly short cruises, refurbished energy, and honest midsize hardware. She’s for value-first families and first-timers who want Carnival staples without mega-ship scale or a specialty-restaurant maze.
Day to day, Paradise still feels like classic Carnival—compact decks, easy orientation, and a lively Lido pulse. The mid-2010s Fun Ship refresh brought the staples shoppers expect: Guy’s Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina, waterslide play, and an adults-only Serenity pocket aft. She’s not trying to out-wow the Vista and Excel ships; she’s trying to get you sailing sooner on shorter, affordable Tampa itineraries.
Cabins are where we get particular. Inventory still skews Oceanview and Interior, with a thinner balcony bank even after the 2018 conversion wave. We’d book a midship balcony on decks 5–7 when we can, or step up to a Grand Vista Suite if the group needs sitting room and a private terrace—and we’ll flag Lido-overhead or elevator-adjacent banks for light sleepers before you lock a category.
Dining stays simple: Destiny and Elation handle the main rooms, with Your Time seating if you hate fixed hours. There’s no full specialty restaurant slate here, so evenings lean Punchliner comedy, production shows in the Normandie Lounge, and casual bites on deck. Compared with newer Carnival sisters, Paradise remains the clear value play for short Fun Ship weeks; confirm sailings on this page and we’ll match cabin and dining to how you actually travel.
She's for
- Value-first families on short Tampa sailings
- First-timers who want classic Fun Ship energy
- Groups who prioritize price over mega-ship wow
- Adults who still want Serenity and comedy nights
She's not for
- Shoppers who need a balcony on most cabin budgets
- Foodies chasing a full specialty-restaurant slate
- Travellers who want brand-new cabin tech and scale
Honest caveat
She’s a 1998 Fantasy-class hull—the Fun Ship refresh updated public rooms, but cabin tech and balcony supply still lag newer builds. Ask us before you pay for a balcony category you could outgrow on a Vista-class ship.
The record · ship backgroundParadise, last of Fantasy-class
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The record · ship background
Paradise, last of Fantasy-class
Show ship backgroundHide ship backgroundCarnival Paradise was built in 1998 at Helsinki’s Masa-Yards as the eighth and final Fantasy-class Fun Ship for Carnival Cruise Line. She entered service as the industry’s first fully non-smoking cruise ship, a branding Carnival dropped in 2003 when she returned to a standard Fun Ship program. Paula Zahn christened the ship at debut.
Major refresh cycles followed. The mid-2010s Fun Ship package added signature casual venues, waterslide energy, and entertainment upgrades guests now treat as baseline. The 2018 Freeport drydock added cabins, converted nearly a hundred rooms to balconies, and raised lower-berth capacity across Fantasy sisters such as Ecstasy, Elation, Fascination, and Sensation.
Deployment today centers on short warm-water sailings out of Tampa, after earlier West Coast Baja seasons and a Panama Canal repositioning into Florida. Always confirm the specific itinerary and embarkation on this page—homeport and length can shift by season. Specs, ratings, and live sailings sit alongside this record.
Build record
- Keel to delivery
- 1996 – 1998
- Inaugural
- 1998
- Fuel
- Marine diesel-electric
- Sisters
- Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival Elation, Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Fascination
Commerce
Upcoming sailings
17 itineraries · 121 sail dates on Carnival Paradise. Fares are live and change daily.
| Sailing | Date | Depart | Nights | $/n | Inside | Balcony | Suite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-Day BahamasTampa, Fl | Celebration Key, The Bahamas | Tampa, Fl · 4 dates | Sep 10, 2026 | Tampa | 4 | $120 | $481 | $841 | $913 |
| 6-Day BahamasTampa, Fl | Celebration Key, The Bahamas | Princess Cays, The Bahamas | Nassau, The Bahamas | Tampa, Fl · 3 dates | Sep 14, 2026 | Tampa | 6 | $78 | $467 | $887 | — |
| 4-Day Western CaribbeanTampa, Fl | Cozumel, Mexico | Tampa, Fl · 55 dates | Sep 20, 2026 | Tampa | 4 | $102 | $407 | $792 | $832 |
| 6-Day Western CaribbeanTampa, Fl | Belize | Isla Tropicale, Roatan | Cozumel, Mexico | Tampa, Fl | Oct 26, 2026 | Tampa | 6 | $136 | $814 | $1,524 | $1,713 |
| 6-Day BahamasTampa, Fl | Celebration Key, The Bahamas | Relaxaway, Half Moon Cay | Nassau, The Bahamas | Tampa, Fl · 2 dates | Nov 9, 2026 | Tampa | 6 | $97 | $580 | $1,070 | $1,149 |
| 5-Day BahamasTampa, Fl | Celebration Key, The Bahamas | Nassau, The Bahamas | Tampa, Fl · 5 dates | Nov 23, 2026 | Tampa | 5 | $133 | $664 | $1,425 | $1,340 |
Showing 6 of 17 sail dates
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