This was our first cruise. It was great not having to experience any cigarette smoke or putrid ashtrays on this ship. I don't know if I could cruise on any other ship now that I know what it's like to be on a smoke-free one.

Some of my comments may relate specifically to the Paradise, others may be of my first cruising experience in general.

Our cabin steward and dining room wait staff were outstanding. I have never had a better dining experience. The food was awesome. Being on a vegetarian low cholesterol diet, I was quite pleased that every meal's menu had a section of healthy items and listed the number of calories, fat, and cholesterol for those items. That didn't mean they weren't delicious. All the food was fantastic, except for the lobster tail, which was a bit on the tough side.

The bar drinks on the ship were not as good as I expected. The bar staff was less enthusiastic than the dining room staff and cabin steward.

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Our cabin was excellent, although with three of us and an increasing number of gifts and souvenirs, it became quite full and chaotic and hard to find things.

There was very little relaxing time. There was always something to do or somewhere to be. I always felt rushed while in port. Rush onto shore, do the tour, and rush back to ship. It would have been nice to spend more than one day in the same port.

The Paradise had events all day in the show lounge (the Normandie Lounge) but coffee was not served there, only bar drinks. The lighting booths on the balcony in the Normandie were not low enough. Anyone remotely behind them had an obstructed view. They should have lowered them a couple of feet.

The quality of the photos taken by the photo staff on baord was great, but the photo prices were outrageous. We ended up spending about $140 for just a few of their photos. They also had a video crew recording events on and off the ship, but we never saw the crew and thus were never caught on videotape. Perhaps they only followed the young, beautiful beach bunnies.

It was annoying that you can get towels at the main pool but not at any of the other pools on the ship.

Being that there were 2000 cruisers on board, the cruise often seemed impersonal. The frequent lines and crowds did nothing to help this. But, as previously mentioned, the cabin steward and dining room staff really went out of their way to make us feel special.

If I were to cruise again, I'd definitely cruise on the Paradise. However, with the cost of airfare, the cruise, drinks, souvenirs, bingo, and photos, I spent well over $4200. I can fly my family to St. Thomas and spend a week there for less.