Carnival Paradise

Jason and I set sail on the Carnival paradise Cruise line on February 8th for 5 days for a much needed getaway. We traveled with a Bluegrass Club where in addition to the normal Cruise activities we had jam sessions, where the musicians gathered together and played bluegrass music.


We made the drive up to Long Beach, boarded our luggage just before the huge rush of people, breezed through the check in, got set up in our room, enjoyed dinner and set sail.


For dinner you were assigned a time and a table. The people at our table were so much fun and treated us like family. It was so much fun. And best of all you ate whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted and you didn't have to pay a thing!



Activities on board included Las Vegas style shows, Mini-golf, pool/spa to name a few. They also had a day spa, casino and other activities that cost extra money:)

Our first port was Catalina, we made a quick visit to some friends of our from Campus by the Sea and were hooked up by our buddy with a free underwater tour. It was really neat and the water was surprisingly clear, being that it was a rainy day.

Our second Port was Ensenada Mexico, where we opted to take a tour bus to La Bufadora for the Habana Banana Jam with the bluegrass group. We learned some interesting things on our tour... Did you know La Bufadora means buffalo Snout? They have a blow hole off the coast that they are famous for and when the water passes through it, it makes the sound of a buffalo snorting. Also 80% of their agriculture is shipped to California and they are the tequila capital.
We made the trek through a local market place where we picked up a hammock swing for our girls and some nice big Mexican blankets. We had a blast at the Hana Banana restaurant where over 20 musicians played music. I just took pic's, that was my contribution.


Thursday was our day at Sea where Jason and I took advantage of the on board activities. We played Mini-golf, watch a "Newly Wed's and Not so Newly Wed's" game show, ate a fabulous lunch & Dinner then a Musical show called " SHOUT."
It was nice to get away for a couple days, I HIGHLY recommend taking this cruise. It was affordable and the service was INCREDIBLE! We plan on going again next year with our kids and hope that a bunch of our friends and family join us. We have connections to get the group rate;)