Carnival: “Fun Ships” for a reason - we had a blast!

Item: Carnival Radiance
Rating: 4.7
Author: NeedToVacation

Carnival Radiance Cruise Review

NeedToVacation

Contributor Level: First Mate

78 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 8

Helpful Votes: 80

Overall rating:

4.7 out of 5

4 Night Catalina & Baja Mexico (Los Angeles Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 13, 2023

Ship: Carnival Radiance

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 2318

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 months ago

Review summary

Fun fun fun - the parties/ “shows” in the Atrium were a blast!! The cruise director, Rico, had everyone singing, dancing, screaming!!! Nice short getaway for a good price. Delicious specialty dining, plus Guy’s, Shaq’s, pizza, burritos & tacos all included.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Long Beach is a great embarkation port. Clean, spacious, efficient- nice workers at terminal.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

We did mostly specialty this time. MDR once for dinner was enough - good service. Good Main Course salad with crispy chicken and Asian dressing.

Bonsai Sushi

5 out of 5

Excellent service, and good selection on the menu. We had a Bento Box and a Poke Bowl, and my brother tried a few different types of sushi for the first time. Loved it!!

BlueIguana Cantina

5 out of 5

Breakfast burritos are SO yummmmm!Tacos for lunch were very tasty!Good selection of salsas.

Lido Marketplace Buffet

4 out of 5

Buffet was adequate for breakfast. Good for cakes/desserts.

The Carnival Deli

5 out of 5

We all enjoyed sandwiches at the Deli the first day onboard. Mine was the Crispy Chicken sandwich, with a spicy (Buffalo?) sauce. Yum!!!My brother had the Reuben. Liked it.

Pizzeria del Capitano

5 out of 5

Hot, fresh, cheesy pizza. How can it not be wonderful?!

Cucina del Capitano

5 out of 5

Excellent service, huge portions of food. The cheesy bread melts in your mouth.

Big Chicken

5 out of 5

I had two “Shaq Attacks” in four days - my favorite!!!!!!!!

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Mini golf was a hoot! We tried the “Hole in One” competition, it was fun! The Ropes Course is always fun. Played some cornhole. Also joined the competition.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

*The Cruise Director, Rico, went above & beyond to make this cruise FUN FUN FUN!!!!!!!* DJ did a great job. Comedians were entertaining.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Room steward was terrific!! Always smiled and greeted us, kept our room stocked and tidy. Waiters in every venue were top notch. Cruise Director, “Rrrrrico”, was everywhere - and he would go out of his way to talk to passengers, smile, make us laugh. He called me by name at least 5 times in the 4 days (!). Awesome service!

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Ship was in good shape, public restrooms were always being cleaned. -The only drawback we saw is that it was a challenge to find the Limelight Lounge for Comedy shows. They need to put up a few signs at the mid stairwell, and make it so that you don’t have to walk through the Casino to accesss it.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Plenty of storage. Mini fridge to keep our water bottles cool. Typical Interior room.

Ship tip

Have an open mind; since this is a short cruise, easily accessible, and usually inexpensive, you get quite the “diverse” crowd of passengers. Just chill and have your own kind of fun!

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Ensenada, Mexico

4 out of 5

My brother & I walked around town before the rain and thunder& lightning (!) started. We were going to walk to a restaurant for tacos, but went back to the ship after we got drenched and chilled.

Thumbs Up 0

Catalina Island, California

5 out of 5

We played mini golf at their course, which has 18 holes- very challenging and fun! Plus, the trees and plants around the grounds of the course are beautiful. Next we did the semi-submersible excursion from the green dock to see fish and the kelp forest. Really cool.

Thumbs Up 0

Long Beach (Los Angeles), California

5 out of 5

Nice, clean, easy embarkation port.

Thumbs Up 0