We are a couple married 25 years who drink and gamble very little and were looking for an inexpensive getaway cruise. We decided on the Carnival Paradise because we wanted to see the Cayman Islands and the port wasn't too far to drive. The price was right and we got an ocean view cabin at less than $300 per person in mid-December for a five-day cruise that also took us to Cozumel, Mexico. We set a budget and decided to forego any on-shore excursions and just "wing it."

We got to Tampa on a Saturday. We made it to Port Parking across the street; $75 for five days but it was close and easy. We walked across the street to the terminal and dropped off our bags to the first porter we saw - bring $5 to tip the porter. Embarkation was easy. We were able to board the ship by 1:30 pm and found our stateroom. By the time we returned from a snack run to the Lido Deck our luggage had arrived. We unpacked and then started exploring the ship, trying to learn our way around. Our stateroom was at the back of the ship on Deck 4 which put us close to the Lido buffets, Serenity Deck, the Comedy Shows and our main dining room, Destiny.

Going to the Normandie Theater to see a show was a hike but man were they worth it. "Epic Rock" is the best production show I have seen on my seven cruises. "The Brits" was okay but most of the music was before my time. The 80's-styled show was very good! Great video-screen effects and a moving tribute to Michael Jackson. But neither holds a candle to "Epic Rock" which starts with a warmup of an electric guitar soloist playing famous riffs on a Gibson Les Paul Standard - yes, Slash's guitar - doing Eric Clapton, Cream, Van Halen, Guns-n-Roses, Deep Purple and many more - blowing the room away playing continuously for 15 minutes. I did not catch his name but I learned he is from Argentina. Then the cast came out and proceeded to sing and dance their way through some of the greatest songs of the 70s and 80s including "Bohemian Rhapsody." Amazing. Read more