Radiance Live Review 6/10-13/2022

[Wanna_Cruize]

Hello CC, 

 

We're back onboard the beautiful Carnival Radiance for a live review! I'll go over new stuff we've learned, since this is our first time in an Ocean Suite (got an upsell offer I couldn't refuse)

 

On this trip is my DH (63) and myself (62). We're newly-minted Diamond cruises, (as you can see by my signature) and this is actually our 49th Carnival cruise. For those who are math aficionados, it becomes obvious how we got to this point. We live in SoCal (North San Diego County) and are great fans of the 3-4 night cruises. Ws cried a bit when they retired Imagination and Inspiration but we've made Radiance our new home, and are happy to have you join us. 

 

I'll add some of the questions I wanted to answer on this trip, but if anyone has something they'd like to know, just post it here and I'll try and find out for you. Keep in mind that this is a 3-night cruise, so it goes by pretty fast. So, post your questions quickly. 

[BlerkOne]

If you see Maitre d' Kostyantyn say hello to him. He is from Ukraine.

[Wanna_Cruize]

First, I must say I'm very disappointed with my fellow passengers on this cruise. Gabe has just come back on the ceiling microphone to remind those who haven't done their muster drill to get their @$$ down to their muster station so we can sail away. We will have to delay our departure until they comply. In the first announcement (about 4pm with sailaway slated for 5pm) he actually announced 28 cabins by number that hadn't' yet complied. It's really not that hard people. We did ours in about 4 minutes from hitting the liquid lounge until we were done. 

[Wanna_Cruize]

Let's see, I guess I'd better cover embarkation first. We had an arrival appt. for 12:30, bur unfortunately we didn't make that time slot, and actually got to the port just before 2pm. DH has medical appts we have to schedule around (this is why we're limited to 3-day cruises for the foreseeable future) and he didn't get out until about noon, and their was traffic getting from SD area to Long Beach. Yep, tourist season is here folks, and the freeways prove it. 

 

There were pretty long lines outside the cruise terminal, sorting passengers into arrival times. I guess it's good they keep the ones coming early outside, queued into lines. But for those of us who came late, It was a little confusing about where we were supposed to line up. I finally found where we could go to show our boarding passes and get inside. However, once inside, we still had to queue up into lines go get to the tables where we have to show our papers (Mr. Gant). 

 

Once we got to a table, it went pretty quickly. I had done our Verifly Pass and had it up on my phone screen, which they did look at. However, as the agent was going through her checklist on her ipad, she did ask us if we were boosted. I replied that we both were.Maybe it flagged the question because we did our Covid tests 3 days prior (through Kaiser). We had gotten our results back pretty quickly this time, so I didn't have to activate my Plan B or C.

 

Then it was through the scanner. I put our carryon, and pointed out to the scanner which bag had our two bottles of wine in it. It also had two cans of soda, and two smaller cans of juice, but we didn't have to open it for them to see exactly what was in there. I can't really remember when the last time was we actually had to show them the bottles of wine in Long Beach. 

[Wanna_Cruize]

Once we were through the scanners, we had to get in line for the desk personnel to check passports, etc Thank goodness for our Diamond status, and the fact that we had a suite this time. Did I mention we were in a suite for the very first time. Can you tell I"m excited by that??? This fact saved us a boat-load of time in this portion of the check-in process because the other line was longer than I've ever seen it. I'm not sure if it as just delayed, or the boat is sailing much fuller than the last time we were on it (in April). That went pretty quickly for us, and we boarded by about 2:15 pm. 

[Wanna_Cruize]

14 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

If you see Maitre d' Kostyantyn say hello to him. He is from Ukraine.

I will, for sure. I just scored reservations for the Steakhouse for tonight, but I'm sure we'll connect with him in the MDR at some point. 

[Wanna_Cruize]

Let's see, what else happened up to this point. FYI, I'm using my phone hotspot since we're still in port, but I'll purchase the internet plan for the Sea day for sure. I get free data in Mexico, so I just have to see what internet I need, but want to check the speed before I spring for the whole 3 days. 

 

Once onboard, we went to the cabin to check out our Ocean Suite. Did I mention that we have a suite for the first time. I think I did.... 

 

I took a quick video of it. Like I said, I had gotten an upsell call a couple of weeks ago. Since my birthday is on Monday, I decided to splurge for myself. It was only about $100 to go from a balcony to this Ocean Suite. We're taking a family reunion cruise in July with other family members, and we have upgraded 3 of our balconies to 3 Ocean Suites in a row, so we can open the partitions between them for more family fun. So, we're treating this trip as a reconnaissance trip, to be ready to take the Julie McCoy roll for that family trip. 

 

I think now I've spoiled my DH enough now to never get him to agree to an inside cabin again. We used to do them (happily) because it enabled us to go on lots of more cruises, and we generally spent so little time in our cabins. However, now that we're older, we've decided to do what we want, when we want, as long as it fits in our budget, 

Edited June 10, 2022 by Wanna_Cruize
Grammar and spelling

[Buffettfan 225]

Following as getting on ship when you get off. Last sailed Radiance early March with 1100, so expecting actual lines this time and perhaps buffet and Guys Burgers to have hot food this time.

Carnival posted they will add some of Italian Cucina menu items in MDR since it is closed for dinner (now but not lunch.) Can you comment on if every night the added Italian  entree specials are the same, and what they are? Thanks. 

 

[Buffettfan 225]

Please let me know evening ship temps in evening, I can see weather reports, but not ship climate at night if got chilly. Wondering about a jacket for around deck movie times, walking and i ndoor a/c temps.

 

[Wanna_Cruize]

Good morning peeps. Finally up and somewhat about. It is true that the door hangers to pre-order breakfast are no longer there. If you want something, you need to call Room Service. DH had an early massage appt, I decided to just call for some coffee to be delivered. I also asked for some OJ, a croissant, butter and strawberry jam, and it ended up being delivered very quickly. But, somehow the croissant ended up being apricot jam. The gal mentioned just getting the jam & juice so I saw what happened. Oh well, I might have not enunciated clearly, but no big deal. She said I could call again, and they'd be happy to bring some up, but it wasn't necessary. I really just needed the coffee. I'm still pretty full from last night. 

[Wanna_Cruize]

Speaking of last night, I guess I'd better recap. Let's see, I left off after we got to our cabin. Did I mention we got a suite for the first time? I think I did.....

 

I booked it downstairs to the Red Frog Pub. I know from past cruises that they are one of the few ships that still has the 1/2 Fish Bowl Caribbean Cocktails on embarkation day, but only until 2pm. It was 2:30 by the time I got there, but I decided to pay full freight for it anyway. $25 for a pitcher of deliciousness that would last me for a couple of days. I usually go for the cruiser, but this time I decided to try the Caribbean Iced Tea (similar to a LIT but with Midori). Well, it's pretty blue, for sure. It was very strong (may have had something to do with the $5 bill I laid on the bar, along with my diamond card). I always order it with NO ice in the pitcher, just a couple of glasses of ice to go along with it. Then I went back to the cabin with it to unpack & get settled in. 

[Wanna_Cruize]

7 hours ago, Buffettfan 225 said:

Following as getting on ship when you get off. Last sailed Radiance early March with 1100, so expecting actual lines this time and perhaps buffet and Guys Burgers to have hot food this time.

Carnival posted they will add some of Italian Cucina menu items in MDR since it is closed for dinner (now but not lunch.) Can you comment on if every night the added Italian  entree specials are the same, and what they are? Thanks. 

 

 

Thanks for following along. I'm sure you'll enjoy your trip. From the lines at embarkation, it did seem fuller, but we haven't run into masses of people anywhere last night. We got on too late to see how crowded Guys Burger was for lunch that day, but I'll be out and about a little later and see how crowded the ship 'feels'. 

 

As far as the Cucina del Capitano specials served in the MDR, it seems like the same two entrees are served each night with no up-charge. No sign of the arancini (darn it!)

 

• Pesce Spad E Melanzane
  • Pasta Pacheri tossed with eggplant, capers, cherry tomatoes, swordfish, white wine and finished with torn basil leaves

 

• Pollo Parmigiana Della Cucina
  • Boneless cutlet of chicken lightly breaded and gently fried, topped with marinara sauce and baked with mozzarella.

 

I'll also check out the temp tonight. The weather is pretty cloudy for our sea day. We did walk the outside promenade on Deck for to get to the Steakhouse and it didn't seem chilly at all. Also, we don't have a lot of mileage to cover for any of these ports so we're moving at a pretty low rate of speed. 

Edited June 11, 2022 by Wanna_Cruize
Temp info

[Wanna_Cruize]

After we finished unpacking & stuff, we went to the Spa so DH could see if the massage technician he had the last time had some slots left. He managed to score a 7:45 appt for the next morning, so he was happy. Also confirmed his Fire & Ice pedicure for that night at 5:30. Yes, he's a Spa Guy, where I don't really enjoy enjoy it so much.

 

We then went to the Steakhouse and scored a reservation for 8:30 that evening, so we could get the free bottle of wine. Then we could plan our evening out. We decided to not eat a late lunch, because we knew the steakhouse is a LOT of food, and planned to go to the 7:00 comedy show before dinner, and try the late-night comedy show after dinner. 

 

I also went to the shops as soon as they opened, and scored some 50th birthday-wear in the larger sizes we need. If you don't grab them early, the sizes are gone. I figured if I got DH something he didn't like, I could always exchange it. Also pre-ordered the case of Hennessy White. DH loves that stuff, but it is so crazy expensive now, compared to when we first started buying it. It's $82 per bottle, 233 for 3 bottles ad 442 for 6 bottles. 

[KmomChicago]

The pesce dish. It's pasta with a rich red sauce but you can't taste or see any swordfish.

 

Edited June 11, 2022 by KmomChicago

[Wanna_Cruize]

After the comedy show, we to the Steakhouse, even though it was only just after 8. I thought we could have a drink at the bar before our 8:30 reservation, but - surprise! - The steakhouse on Radiance does not have a bar. Luckily they were able to seat us early, so we ate. and ate. and ate. Whew, that was a LOT of food. We decided to just take the free bottle of Merlot, it was fine for us. We actually ordered 2 starters each, because I had heard on CC that you were able to do that. DH got French Onion soup, Cesar Salad, and the spiced 18oz ribeye with a baked potato. I ordered Lobster Bisque, Cesar salad, and the 9oz filet mignon with a baked potato. It was all heavenly. Chef started us off with a little mini-slider. I do have a picture of it, but I'm really struggling with getting them from my phone. I'll have to spend some quality time on it later. 

 

For desert, we got 1 chocolate sphere, and took the cheesecake back to our cabin. We were absolutely stuffed, and then some. Then, while we were finished, they brought over ANOTHER desert for my birthday. I hadn't mentioned it, but I guess they know because it's in my profile. That was a chocolate cup with a mini tiramisu inside it, with a chocolate-raspberry sauce. They also brought out two glasses of champagne, and sang HB to me. It was really nice. 

 

The up-charge for the Steakhouse is $42 each. It was our first time doing it, and DH felt it was completely worth it. The steaks were awesome, so flavorful. The spiced ribeye did have a little bite to it. If I had it to do over, I'd get the Surf & Turf, especially on these 3-day cruises, since we don't get lobster in the MDR. I think DH will get the mushroom risotto for a starter next time. I also think we'd definitley skip the baked potato, even though it was yummy, and concentrate on stuff you can't get anywhere else on the ship.

 

We tried to get into the late comedy show, but it was standing room only, so we went to the casino instead to play some Let it Ride. Then, we were completely exhausted, so off to bed. That was day 1

Edited June 11, 2022 by Wanna_Cruize
More detail on dinner

[Wanna_Cruize]

7 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

The pesce dish. It's pasta with a rich red sauce but you can't taste or see any swordfish.

 

Thanks for posting that Kmom. Think I'm going to pass on that. 

[Wanna_Cruize]

(Changed to typing my notes in Word, then pasting them in the review. So, if they go poof, I don't have to retype them.)

 

While I was having my coffee this morning, I went ahead and purchased the internet plan. I know I lost a couple of posts last night, when I tried it tethered to the hotspot on my phone’s cellular. It was going to be $25/day for the premium plan, or $50 for the cruise, so I just did that. The middle plan was going for $37 for the cruise, so I decided to splurge. It was just too hard to try and juggle the hotspot to do the live review. I’ve got lots of photos and screenshots of menus and stuff, but I’m having trouble validating my iCloud account, with MFA. I’m trying it on my laptop, but I need to revalidate that device, and it’s pushing it to my phone’s authenticator app, or a SMS, which Isn’t working when I try and switch devices. First world problems, so the pics will come later. When we’re in Mexico my phone will work on regular cellular, so I should be able to get it all together then. We’re probably just going to hang out on the ship anyway, we’ve been to Ensenada multiple times, and have done most excursions. 

 

After DH returned from his massage, we went to Sea Day Brunch. It’s held in the Sunset restaurant, all the way in the back, so it’s quite a trek from the front where our cabin is. Did I mention we were in a suite for the first time? I think I did…. 🙂

Edited June 11, 2022 by Wanna_Cruize
grammar

[KmomChicago]

1 minute ago, Wanna_Cruize said:

Thanks for posting that Kmom. Think I'm going to pass on that. 

It was okay but not very special or impressive.

[Wanna_Cruize]

The wait for brunch was only about 10 minutes or so for a table. We were given a really nice table for two along the window in the back left corner of the room. Michael and Richard were our wait team, and provided excellent service. We each ordered a glass of Champagne for our Platinum/Diamond perk, so we could make table side mimosas with the regular glass of orange juice. DH had an omelet and I had the Frittata. I also ordered the mozzarella sticks from the kids menu, based on a tip from another cruiser. They did come with fries, but this time were 1/2 curly fries and 1/2 crinkle fries. No marinara sauce, though. That was plenty of food for us, we skipped dessert. 

 

DH asked Richard if he could pre-order his dinner off the low-sodium options, and at first we were told that we should go to the hostess desk, and they would take the order then. A bit later, he actually showed up with the menu for tonight, and just took DH’s order himself. That was appreciated, and tipped accordingly for the extra service. We had tested a lot of the low sodium selections before, and there really is a difference, and they are still VERY tasty. Really anything on the menu you can select, but they need a count before dinner so they know how much to prepare. Tonight we’ll preorder tomorrow night’s dinner also. DH asked for low-sodium Sicilian Meatball Soup, Cesar salad, baked chicken breast and fruit plate. 

[Wanna_Cruize]

After dinner we stopped by the shops for a little more retail therapy. DH found a different rain jacket & other shirts he wanted, so I went to the cabin & got the two I had picked up the prior evening so we could exchange them. We probably have enough logo wear now to just take that on our future cruises. 

 

After that we spent a little time in the casino, playing Let It Ride. I love playing that game, because it holds at least the possibility of a large payout on a single hand. Blackjack can just be a grind sometimes, trying to time your exit on the upswing so you don’t just give it all back. We ended up playing for quite a while, and walked away with the same amount we started with, so I call that a win. 

 

We puttered around in the cabin for a bit, planning the rest of our day, before going out check out Guy’s Pig & Anchor Sea Day BBQ on Deck 10 aft. Yes, another trek from the front of the ship where our cabin is. Did I mention we’re in a suite for the first time? I think I did…  😛

[Wanna_Cruize]

We traversed the Lido deck this time, and the Groove for St. Jude was setting up. There were a lot of people milling about, drinking in the outdoor bars, and in the Pool. Lots of people enjoying a bit of sunny weather. I was surprised that there really was no line at Guys. It as about 1:30-2:00 at this time. They DO run the line from both ends, so if there is a long line on the side queue, look towards the line in the middle of the ship, you can also get your burger there. That wasn’t what we were going for, so we pressed on. 

 

There was a line for the BBQ, but it went pretty quick. Just got a small sample of most of the sides, and some pulled pork. It was good. The potato salad was better than I had found on Panorama; that one had long planks of potato and very little mayo, etc. This was more traditional potato salad. After eating, we walked back on deck 10 to the front, and went down to deck 7 where our cabin is. Did I mention we’re in a suite for the first time? I think I did… 🤣

[Wanna_Cruize]

Also forgot to mention, I started hiding some of the small ducks I brought with me. Yes I’m one of those #cruisingducks nuts. It’s fun, and I try to hide lots of them down low for kids to find. I think I brought about 20 with me this time. Haven’t found any myself yet, but there’s still time. 

 

Getting set up for our weekly family Zoom call with my siblings. We committed to doing it once our Mom passed away, in order to keep the family more connected, and it’s been really nice to have a set time for everyone to chat a bit. I'll be giving them a tour of the suite we're in (for the first time ever... 😜 because in July for our Family Reunion cruise we'll have 3 of them all together so we can open the balconies up to each other. I’ll be back later for more intel, and to see if there are any other questions. 

[Mywh82work]

Actually traffic is bad because the president in town along with other America’s leaders for a summit. Lot of street closers and bad traffic.  He’ll gone by the time you get back and it’s back to normal which is a little better. 🙂

 

enjoying your report.

[csm5986142]

16 hours ago, Buffettfan 225 said:

Following as getting on ship when you get off.

 

Great review thank you - we will also be getting on Radiance on Monday when you get off. 🙂

I did not know about the drink special until 2:00 on embarkation day at Red Frog - I will have to check that out!

[Wanna_Cruize]

17 hours ago, Mywh82work said:

Actually traffic is bad because the president in town along with other America’s leaders for a summit. Lot of street closers and bad traffic.  He’ll gone by the time you get back and it’s back to normal which is a little better. 🙂

 

enjoying your report.

Thank you,