Fantasy-Class Carnival Cruise Ship Arrives in Tampa Ahead of Restart

You can receive daily cruise news updates directly to your inbox, so you don't miss a thing! Go ahead and Subscribe here.

After an absence of two years, Carnival Paradise arrived in Tampa, Florida, to resume operations. She is one of the final Carnival Cruise ships to resume operations. The vessel has been sitting idle since March of 2020, at the onset of the global pause of cruise operations. 

Sailing on her first cruise on March 12, Carnival Paradise is already in Tampa, where she docked at the Port Tampa Bay Cruise Terminal 3 earlier today, March 11, which is also Carnival’s official 50th Birthday. The Fantasy-class ship will be sailing on 4-, 5- and 6-day Western Caribbean cruises. 

Carnival Paradise Returns To Service

It’s Carnival Cruise Line’s birthday today, and there could be no better way to celebrate than the return to service of Carnival Paradise. The Fantasy-class cruise ship arrived in her homeport of Tampa, Florida, earlier today, March 11, to prepare for her very first cruise in two years.

Carnival Paradise was the last fantasy class ship to be built and floated out of her dock for the first time on January 29, 1998. The 70,367 gross tonnes, 2,124-passenger cruise ship is no stranger to Tampa. She has been homeporting on the west coast of Florida since 2011.

Carnival Paradise at Tampa Bay Port
Photo Credit: fitzcrittle / Shutterstock

The ship will be sailing from the Port Tampa Bay Cruise Terminal number 3. Tampa is accessible by car for guests from Northern Florida and the Southern states such as Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, and Mississippi. 

Christine Duffy, the Carnival Cruise Line President, had this to say about the port: โ€œTampa is a convenient, centrally located homeport โ€“ not to mention a popular vacation destination โ€“ and the growth that weโ€™ve experienced at this port is a testament to the wonderful partnership with the Port weโ€™ve enjoyed for the past 25 years.โ€

Carnival Paradise Sails Western Caribbean Itinerary

Guests will have the option of sailing on various Western Caribbean cruises from Tampa. There are short 4-day cruises for those that want a quick getaway, 5-day cruises for some extra relaxation at sea, and 6-day cruises for a great vacation onboard a fun ship. 

The first cruise, sailing on March 12, will depart from Tampa in the afternoon. Carnival Paradise will sail underneath the famous Sunshine Skyway Bridge, a majestic landmark with its sail-like supporting cables, before sailing out to the Gulf of Mexico.

Carnival Paradise Cruise Ship
Photo Credit: Kyle Lee / Shutterstock

After a full day at sea, the first port of call will be Mahogany Bay on Isla Roatan, in Honduras. Here guests can enjoy a range of watersports such as diving, swimming with dolphins, or sailing on a catamaran across the blue Caribbean waters.ย 

Then it’s off to a day in the Mexican resort town of Cozumel, followed by another day at sea before arriving back in Tampa. Other cruises include a 6-day cruise with calls to Key West, Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Grand Cayman. There are also 4-day cruises available with a call in Cozumel and two days at sea. 

Carnival Paradise will be the twenty-second cruise ship in the Carnival fleet to resume operations, and only two more vessels are scheduled to start. Carnival Splendor will resume on May 2 of this year from Seattle, Washington. She will be sailing the Alaska cruises that were scheduled for Carnival Freedom. 

Carnival Celebration, the cruise line’s newest addition, will launch in November of this year. This will be the culmination of Carnival’s birthday celebrations. 

If you enjoyed the article and would like no fuss daily cruise news to your inbox directly from Cruise Hive, you can Subscribe here.

Voting is now open at the Cruise Hive Awards, including your favorite cruise ships, cruise lines, ship features, private islands and homeports!

Robert McGillivray
Robert McGillivray
Robert has been involved in the cruise industry since January 2007. He joined his first ship, the Seabourn Pride, in Miami Florida, and never looked back. Robert started his cruise career as a bar-waiter and worked his way up to being a corporate trainer for the same luxury 6-star cruise line. After a short break from ships in 2013, Robert has worked as a Hotel Director onboard several different cruise ships worldwide and even in Antarctica, and on the North Pole. As a writer for Cruise Hive Robert stays on top of all current developments and brings you breaking news, facts, and special reports. As an avid traveler and photographer, Robert has visited no less than 101 countries worldwide and stepped on to his 7th continent on his 30th birthday. His photos have been published by news media like Bloomberg and The New York Times, and are used by Celebrity and Azamara Cruise lines for their promotional materials. Robert currently resides in the Philippines on the tropical island of Panglao, with his wife and two daughters. Find out more about us here.

Don't Miss Cruise Hive's Daily Update!

Free expert cruise tips and news from Cruise Hive! We'll send you the latest cruise updates daily to your inbox.

Don't Miss Any Cruise News!

We'll send you the latest cruise updates daily to your inbox.

1.1K Shares
Copy link