Relaxing trip to Hawaii on the Radiance

Item: Carnival Radiance
Rating: 4.9
Author: jiwalk

Carnival Radiance Cruise Review

jiwalk

Contributor Level: Third Mate

267 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 7

Overall rating:

4.9 out of 5

14 Night Hawaii Carnival Journeys (Los Angeles Roundtrip)

Sail date: October 16, 2022

Ship: Carnival Radiance

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8293

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

Great cruise! Just the relaxing vacation we needed. The next time I make it to Hawaii, I’ll fly. Except now I know what island I want to go to 😉. The ports were excellent, I just wish we had a full day at all ports. This was our first time cruising again since the pandemic. I can’t say exactly what, but the cruise seemed to miss some sparkle (lack of a better word). We could definitely tell the crew was stretched a little thin in the MDR. They seemed rushed and didn’t have the time to talk/joke with the table. The service was still great, although the food in the MDR was a little disappointing. The food everywhere else on the boat was great. Bonsai sushi was our favorite. They did a good job with the updates to the Radiance. The comedy shows (our favorite) we’re always packed and luckily they moved most of them to the liquid lounge (main show room) to accommodate all guests. My husband surprised me with a massage that was great, just had to be politely clear I was not interested in any other purchase to avoid the pressure sales pitch. The gym was great with well working equipment. The casino was always packed with smoke, and seemed more so than in the past for whatever reason. The ship was easy to navigate. Always a great time overall with Carnival. Looking forward to our next cruise!

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Long slow lines with irrelevant arrival times.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Only 4 stars because the MDR was a bit disappointing.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Crew is always amazing

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Crew was cleaning non-stop. But the ladies restrooms throughout the ship were at times disgusting.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ports of call

Kahului, Maui

5 out of 5

The cruise terminal is near a nice shopping center. Maui surprised me as the valley looked almost desert-like. Did a catamaran sea turtle snorkel. The excursion was fun, but packed. There were 150 other cruise passengers on the excursion and we usually like excursions with smaller groups. Still had a good time. Lunch was served on the catamaran. Crew was great. That evening we went to a restaurant near port called Ale House that was delicious.

Thumbs Up 0

Hilo, Hawaii

5 out of 5

Hilo was my favorite stop. It’s about a 2mile walk to Hilo’s downtown/shopping. Lots of shopping and a farmers market. We also visited a beach park in the opposite direction of downtown that was about 0.5miles from the terminal. It seemed to be a local favorite and there were no other cruise passengers there! We saw a few sea turtles and it was just beautiful. Although we didn’t, it’s a swimmable spot with what seemed like great snorkeling. We walked a ton, but Uber/Lyft were available. Hilo gave me an authentic Hawaii vibe. It felt like true Hawaii.

Thumbs Up 0

Nawiliwili, Kauai

5 out of 5

Kauai was beautiful, green, and jungle-like. However, I would recommend an excursion at this port as it was difficult to get around with Uber/Lyft because they were limited and traffic gets busy on the main road. There is a small beach near port. We also checked out a beach and the little town of Kapaa which was pretty and less busy, cool shops. Wish we had more time at this port; disappointed with the narrow shore time.

Thumbs Up 0

Honolulu, Oahu

5 out of 5

We visited Pearl Harbor memorial and Waikiki beach. Unfortunately the boat that ferries visitors to the USS Arizona broke down and we were unable to fulfill our reservation go to that memorial. Honolulu is a typical big city, but still beautiful. Found a couple of great restaurants and watched a hula performance on Waikiki beach. Uber used to get around with ease.

Thumbs Up 0

Long Beach (Los Angeles), California

5 out of 5

No issues with parking in the garage for 14 days.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Slight delay after a passenger fell, but smooth otherwise.

Traveler Photos

6 Comments

Married1224 10 months ago

Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience. What hotel do you recommend? I was looking at the airlines. There's a ton of stops included . This will be my first time cruising with Carnival .

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AuntPinkie 2 years ago

Happy you were able to get a taste of Hawaii, so you can return knowing where you want to stay. Thanks for your detailed review. Glad you were able to overlook some of the negative and enjoy your cruise.

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byhisgrace 2 years ago

Thanks for your review

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WhippetMum 2 years ago

Thanks for your feedback

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Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise

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javawoody 2 years ago

Appreciate the review

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