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Carnival Radiance Cruise Review

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 35

Overall rating:

5 out of 5
Carnival Radiance

3 Night Baja Mexico (Los Angeles Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 18, 2022

Ship: Carnival Radiance

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 9200

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

A 3-day cruise just after mask restrictions lifted. We had 400 joyful kids and their families onboard for some much needed living!! It was a “booze-cruise” just not the usual. A family friendly booze cruise. Lol! The ship’s transformation to the Radiance is breathtaking- gorgeous colors, design elements and lighting. The best cruise director in the fleet, Mr. Ryan Rose. And a ton a ton of excellent new dining choices, some free, others slightly upcharged. We never ate in the main dining room for dinner. Not enough time!! Everyone was joyful to be back and it felt like the good old days again!

Embarkation

5 out of 5
As usual in Long Beach, embarkation was fast and easy. I used Verify for all my needed documentation and it was all that was needed (no paper) at the medical desk.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
With all the dining options on board, I actually never had dinner in the main dining room. The steakhouse was excellent as usual. Wish the Radiance ended up with a bigger one, but this was just fine. Bonsai Sushi was a delight. Excellent friendly service in the nice new area. Amazing prices for such fresh sushi. It never disappoints. Shaq’s Chicken was a home-run for me. The chicken was excellent quality and the sides were nice. I replaced my usual immediate guys burger with a chicken sandwich on embarkation. Amazing. I like the fries better than guys too. I got hooked on the chicken tenders - the best I’ve ever had with nice pieces of full breast. Guys smokehouse bbq on sea day was excellent.

Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que

5 out of 5

Excellent location on the ship and very fresh. The collard greens were great too.

Bonsai Sushi

5 out of 5

You can’t find better sushi at sea than on carnival. Very fresh and priced so affordably.

The Carnival Deli

3 out of 5

It’s very convenient and quicker with the pre-made concept, but the sandwiches have been hit or me for me since this version started. I miss fresh made deli sandwiches.

Big Chicken

5 out of 5

Fresh and delicious! I got hooked on the chicken tenders. Fries better than Guys!

Alchemy Bar

5 out of 5

Always impeccable. Sam and crew were friendly and knowledgeable alchemists.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
What the amazing CD Ryan Rose, there were plenty of lido deck activities and other events. People were so thrilled to participate with his high energy beckoning. The ship’s new sports square up on top full of nice equipment, basketball court, ropes course and a very nice mini golf course. The slides were fun. Also the layout of the lido with multi decked stadium style (raised level) seating made the new seaside theatre more viewable for more people. Also loved the location of the two jacuzzis here.

SportSquare

5 out of 5

Nice and new - plenty of things to do up on this deck.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
The stage show “Soulbound” was a wonderful surprise. I loved how they tied all these great soul tunes with the New Orleans / dark magic theme. Loved it. Pan Guru on steel drums put on some excellent performances.

Carnival Seaside Theater

5 out of 5

Brilliant quality screen and loved the seating setup on lido.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
Wow - the team in charge of design hit it out of the park. GORGEOUS. I heard in conversations with friends and overhead others noting it too. Wow!

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
I got this Grand Scenic Ocean view for $30 plus port taxes and tips! What a great experience to try this room out. It’s in great condition after the redo, nice furnishings. The sleeper couch is 8 feet long!! And under one bed is another trundle. We hosted a small sail away gathering leaving Ensenada with a few cruise friends and it was magic!

Ship tip

For the dance and comedy clubs (Limelight Lounge) follow the sign in casino and take stairs down one floor. Also the ladies room door sign at the entrance of Limelight is obscured behind the trim it’s the first door to your left immediately as you walk in the entrance hallway. For the aft restaurant, the only way is from the aft elevator. Take it down from any floor that you have access to. We were on lido, so we walked all the way aft and down.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Ensenada, Mexico

5 out of 5

Long Beach (Los Angeles), California

5 out of 5
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