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with the Carnival Paradise," he added. "The Tampa Port Authority is thrilled that Carnival Cruise Lines recognizes the importance of Florida's west coast market and continues to enhance its year round services," said Tampa Port Director Richard Wainio. "The addition of the Carnival Paradise is a testament to Carnival's longstanding success with year round cruising from Tampa. We value our good relation- ship with Carnival and look forward to working together to serve cruise passengers in the Port of Tampa," he noted. Carnival Cruise Lines' 2,052-passenger Carnival Paradise CARNIVAL PARADISE LAUNCHES YEAR-ROUND FOUR- AND FIVE-DAY CRUISES FROM TAMPA arrived inTampa duringDecember following a 14-day Panama Canal cruise and sailed on its inaugural cruise from the port later that same day. Carnival Paradise replaced the Carnival Inspiration on four- and five-day western Caribbean cruises from the Port of Tampa, becoming the newest Carnival "Fun Ship" to operate this popular itinerary. On this route,Carnival Paradise departsThursdays on four- day cruises to Cozumel and on Mondays and Saturdays on five-day voyages to Cozumel and Grand Cayman. The Carnival Inspiration was deployed to Long Beach, Calif., to operate year-round three- and four-day cruises. Carnival Paradise joins the 2,124-passenger Carnival Legend, which sails year-round seven-day Caribbean voyages fromTampa. Carnival Paradise The ship features spacious, modern facilities and program- ming for children in three age groups, along with a three swim- ming pools, including one with a spiral water slide. Dining options include two formal restaurants with extensive menus and wine lists and an expansive poolside eatery with a 24-hour pizzeria. Other features include a 12,000-sq. ft. health and fit- ness center, a jogging track, and Serenity, an exclusive adults- only retreat. Reservations are currently being accepted for all of Carnival's Tampa-based programs. For additional information and reservations, planners should contact any travel agent, call (800) CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com. Carnival Legend Carnival is the only cruise line to offer year-round cruises fromTampa and hasmaintained a year-round presence since it launched seven-dayCaribbean cruises in 1994. Over the years, the company has dramatically expanded its presence at the Port of Tampa, adding newer and larger ships and offering a greater variety of itineraries. Last year, the line's two-year-round ships,CarnivalParadise and Carnival Legend, carried an estimated 300,000 passengers fromTampa – a 10-fold increase versus Carnival's first year of operations there. "With its convenient location, excellent facilities and prox- imity to top tourist attractions,Tampa has become one of our most popular homeports andCarnivalParadisewill provide an exciting and affordable short cruise option fromFlorida's west coast," saidGerry Cahill,Carnival's president and CEO. "The Tampa Port Authority is a valued business partner and we're proud and delighted to continue our excellent relationship 14 Charlotte's Cruises N Tours will be presenting its 2012 sig- 2012 RHYTHMS OF SOUL CRUISE nature cruise, the "Rhythms of Soul" cruise November 2-10, 2012. The cruisewill depart fromSan Juan,PRandmake stops Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten and St. Thomas, before returning to Puerto Rico. In addition to the entertainment offered on the ship by the cruise line, Charlotte's Cruises N Tours will offer additional entertainment in the formof private parties, especially for this particular soulful crowd. Additional entertainment may include the gospel, jazz, old school, drama/poetry, comedy and much,more!! Charlotte's Cruises N Tours welcomes fellow travel agents and their clients to join the group. In addition, agency owner Charlotte Haymore invites agents to take advantage of an opportunity to earn commission on this soulful signature cruise by selling this cruise to their clients (agents will earn 5%com- mission for each sale with (commission paid on cruise base price). Travel agents interested n particiating should contact Charlotte's Cruises NTours at (303) 343-0342. Black Meetings & Tourism March/Arpril 2012: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com Photo Credit: Sergey Yarmolyuk