Ok, obviously I haven't doen this excursion yet, but I wanted to let you know that I picked up our cruise docs from my travel agent yesterday, and she just got back from the same cruise, and she did the Paradise Village Beach Excursion. I was so happy to speak with her about it - she had nothing but positives to say about it!
She said that the bus ride is about 20-30 minutes, and the resort is beautiful, and you have access to the entire resort. There is a place to view exotic animals, pools, beach, dragon waterslides, a "Mayan" temple, caves to explore, and kayaking. She said that they also offer sea-doo rentals, but that is not included, and it cost them $40 for 1 hour. She said the buffet was wonderful! She suggested leaving towels to reserve pool chairs and a "hut" on the beach - she said that no one bothered their stuff. They got picked up around 3:00 (or they got back to the ship at 3:00 - I can't remember now!) and said that that was a good amount of time - they did everything they wanted to do, and she felt that it was a good value for the money (which I had been questioning). They did the kayaking and said that the water was great, and they explored the "caves" under the "Mayan" temple - just a fun touristy thing.
Also, they have lockers there, and she recommended bring a beach bag or backpack and using a locker. Also, DCL gives you towels as you leave the ship.
That's my "3rd party" review - I hope it helps a little!
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