Great Quick Escape

Carnival Radiance Cruise Review

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 5
Helpful Votes: 95

Overall rating:

4.1 out of 5
Carnival Radiance

3 Night Baja Mexico (Los Angeles Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 08, 2022

Ship: Carnival Radiance

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 1244

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Great short getaway.Early morning is the best time to explore the lido deck and take in the ocean views.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Probably the easiest embarkation I’ve ever done. We booked a room at the Long Beach Hilton the night before. They offer free parking while you cruise, and a convenient shuttle to and from the cruise port. Room was $250, but parking at the terminal is $100…. Get to the port early. You will be onboard by 11:30.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
Main dinning wasn’t as good as previous 7 night carnival cruises I’ve been on. But the service was good. Portions were quite a bit smaller, and the presentation of dishes was lacking.

Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que

1 out of 5

Not a fan. Buns were dry and hard.meat wasn’t that good either. Just skip this place.

Pizzeria del Capitano

2 out of 5

Not as good as it used to be on carnival, but not bad.

Lido Marketplace Buffet

4 out of 5

Awesome for breakfast. It gets crowded so get there early. Dinner was just “okay.”

JavaBlue Cafe

3 out of 5

Not bad. If you like just a regular cup of coffee, go to the buffet. But for specialty coffees, it’s pretty good.

Guy's Burger Joint

5 out of 5

I had 4 of these…. Delicious.

Big Chicken

5 out of 5

This was delicious!!! Bust try it

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
The Cruise director “Cookie” was a lot of fun. Sail away party was unbelievable… I’ve never seen that many people at a deck party before. 80’s party was also a lot of fun.

Entertainment

4 out of 5
We attended the bingo party…. Kinda long and not that entertaining. We didn’t do any other event.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Everyone was super friendly. Especially our room steward.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
The ship was spotless at all times. Crew was constantly wiping down, sweeping up, cleaning things…. The whole trip it was spotless. The remodel is stunning. The colors and decor are elegant. It’s a beautiful ship. It does feel a bit crowded. Especially after noon. Pro tip…. If you like a more serene setting, I’d recommend being an early riser. We went to bed early and got up early. Had most of the ship to ourselves from 6:00 am until about 11:00 am

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
We booked last minute, do we didn’t have a lot of choices. The room was nice for an inside. Actually more storage than you need. I prefer being in a higher deck.

Ship tip

This 3 night cruise is known as a “booze cruise,” but if you prefer something a little quieter and milder, you can still have that experience on this cruise. Just be an early riser and early to bed. Ship is quiet from 5:30 am until about 11:30. When it gets loud, head to the Serenity Deck.

Ports of call

Ensenada, Mexico

4 out of 5
We got off the ship early…. 7:45 am. Perfect time. City is quite and nice to walk around. We went to La Bufadora super early…. Also quiet… then went with horseback riding. We finished our port stay with some shopping. Shuttle busses from port to downtown are nice and only cost $4 per person round trip. We were back on the ship by 2:45

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
So easy…. So smooth. They called our group at 8:00, and we were through customs by 8:30

Traveler Photos

Bingo Beach horseback riding
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