The 2052-passenger Carnival Cruises ship Carnival Paradise has arrived in Tampa from where it will, in future, offer a year-round schedule of four and five-day cruises to the Western Caribbean. So if it is Paradise you are after, you know where to head for your next cruise.

She will depart for five-day cruises to Grand Cayman and Cozumel on Mondays and Saturdays and for four-day cruises to Cozumel on Thursdays.

The ship will replace Carnival Inspiration, which the company has decided to move to Long Beach in California. Carnival Paradise joins Carnival Legend, a 2,124-capacity cruise ship, which already uses Tampa as a base for seven-day voyages to the Caribbean.

Carnival Cruises is the only major cruise line that offers cruises from Tampa year-round. The company has had ships based in Tampa ever since they launched seven-day cruises to the Caribbean from there way back in 1994.

Since then Carnival has significantly expanded its capacity in Tampa by adding more (and bigger) ships. This has also led to a much larger variety of cruises being on offer.

This year the cruise line’s two ships that sail from there year-round, Carnival Legend and Carnival Paradise, will carry an estimated 300,000 guests. This represents a 1000% increase compared to the company’s first year of operations in Tampa.

Jerry Cahill, the President of Carnival, said “With its convenient location, excellent facilities and proximity to top tourist attractions, Tampa has become one of our most popular homeports and Carnival Paradise will provide an exciting and affordable short cruise option from Florida’s west coast.”