Radiance Live Review 6/10-13/2022

[Wanna_Cruize]

16 hours ago, csm5986142 said:

 

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!

It's a great deal for sure, it runs from 12noon to 2pm. I think I'm going to go back to ordering the Cruiser for it, rather than the Caribbean Iced Tea I got this time. The problem is, I end up augmenting it along the way, by adding additional OJ, etc, along with anything that may or may not have been held in small bottles in my toiletries to make it last for a day or so. Adding OJ and other items now has the drink looking a pasty grey color; not very appetizing to look at. 

 

Here's before and after pics. IMG_8180.HEICIMG_8298.HEIC

[Wanna_Cruize]

Well failing at pics again. I may have to wait until I'm home on my regular computer to put pics in. 

 

It's Ensenada day, otherwise known as Sunday. We're in port here with the Navigator of the Seas. Our cabin is on the port side (even numbers), and because of the way the captain backs in, the balcony of our cabin faces the soccer patch and the port shopping area (that is still closed to the public). The way the Navigator is parked, her port cabins have the same view as us, just turned 45 degrees. So the Starboard cabins have a marginally better view, with the ginormous Mexican flag, marina, and new malecon they built over the past couple of years. We grabbed a quick bite in the Lido for the first time, and it was pretty crowded. No sign of bacon today, and the ham slices were.... how to say.... not really ham. Seemed to be more of a bologna texture. Not sure if that is a supply chain issue, or cost cutting issue. There was thinly sliced ham in the side section holding the yogurt, sliced deli meat & milk. 

[Wanna_Cruize]

DH is off to his last massage of the trip. I have a bit of time to relax, before my next gig. Let's see, where did I leave off reporting on last night's festivities... 

 

After our family zoom time, Dh took a quick power nap, and I spent some time figuring out how to cram all the things we wanted to do in the rest of the evening. We had decided to go to Soulbound again, we enjoyed it the last time. There is only one show each night, not an early and late show anymore. So, you must plan accordingly. The Early dinner is at 6pm, and the late dinner is at 8:15 pm. The doors open for the show at 7:00 and the show starts at 7:30. However, the venue wasn't remotely full, so you don't have to rush in at 7, unless there are certain seats you MUST have. This venue has floor seating that you enter on Deck 4, with chairs that they layout in whatever pattern is used for each show. The show spills onto the floor, so there are small stages set next to batches of chairs, so you are really immersed in the experience. They warn you before the show to please stay in your seats during the show, and don't move the chairs around. 

 

From the floor, there are series of stairs going to the upper rows. This show lounge doesn't have 2 discrete levels. The upper rows are stadium style, so up 2-3 stairs and there's a row of seats along a railing, then up another 2-3 stairs and another row, etc. If you enter from the 5th floor, you end up in the middle layer of the stadium seats, and you can go up or down from there. 

IMG_8315.HEIC

[csm5986142]

24 minutes ago, Wanna_Cruize said:

It's a great deal for sure, it runs from 12noon to 2pm. I think I'm going to go back to ordering the Cruiser for it, rather than the Caribbean Iced Tea I got this time.

 

Thank you (the Cruiser it is) - I will go with your recommendation!  

[KmomChicago]

6 minutes ago, Wanna_Cruize said:

DH is off to his last massage of the trip. I have a bit of time to relax, before my next gig. Let's see, where did I leave off reporting on last night's festivities... 

 

After our family zoom time, Dh took a quick power nap, and I spent some time figuring out how to cram all the things we wanted to do in the rest of the evening. We had decided to go to Soulbound again, we enjoyed it the last time. There is only one show each night, not an early and late show anymore. So, you must plan accordingly. The Early dinner is at 6pm, and the late dinner is at 8:15 pm. The doors open for the show at 7:00 and the show starts at 7:30. However, the venue wasn't remotely full, so you don't have to rush in at 7, unless there are certain seats you MUST have. This venue has floor seating that you enter on Deck 4, with chairs that they layout in whatever pattern is used for each show. The show spills onto the floor, so there are small stages set next to batches of chairs, so you are really immersed in the experience. They warn you before the show to please stay in your seats during the show, and don't move the chairs around. 

 

From the floor, there are series of stairs going to the upper rows. This show lounge doesn't have 2 discrete levels. The upper rows are stadium style, so up 2-3 stairs and there's a row of seats along a railing, then up another 2-3 stairs and another row, etc. If you enter from the 5th floor, you end up in the middle layer of the stadium seats, and you can go up or down from there. 

IMG_8315.HEIC 1.77 MB · 1 download

Wonder if the single show is a permanent change or if it applies to 3 night itineraries only. We were onboard May 30-June 3 and had 2 performances of Soulbound.

[Wanna_Cruize]

The show was very good. Different main singers from the last time we were here in April, and the full cast this time. I think Covid had a major effect the last time. Ir was very well done, we thought, and we sat on the floor this time right near one of the smaller stages, so we had singers coming alongside us and stepping on the small stage to sing their parts. The costuming and make-up was very well done. There were some new special effects. and we enjoyed it. 

 

Just realized we went directly into dinner, and I forgot to note that we ate dinner the MDR this time. I woke DH from his nap, at about 5:45 and told him to get dressed. I checked us in for a table for 2 and it only took about 10-15 minutes to get a table. We were up on the 4th deck of the dining room, right along the balcony observing the lower level. We had Joseph and Michael this time, and got excellent service again. They located DH's pre-arranged dinner order, and I put in mine. I opted just for.a Cesar salad and the Garlic Shrimps Dinner, and the Coffee cake. How am I still full from the Steakhouse the night before?? We brought our bottle of wine we brought onboard to enjoy with dinner, and I took the 50th Anniversary travel wine glass with me filled with my concoction from the room.

 

Out dinner came out quickly, and and we were able to get out of there before Showtime started. We needed to hustle from the back of the ship (Sunset Dining room where YTD happens) to the front of the ship where the show lounge is. I already knew we could take the outside boardwalk on deck 4 all the way, and not have to navigate the crowds on Deck 5 making the trek. There are doors on both sides just outside the dining room that you jut push open, and the walk leisure down the row of lifeboats, waving to the cameras down there and hiding a couple of ducks along the way. That's how we ended up on Deck 4 for the show. 

[Wanna_Cruize]

3 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

Wonder if the single show is a permanent change or if it applies to 3 night itineraries only. We were onboard May 30-June 3 and had 2 performances of Soulbound.

 

I think I found the reason for it. but not sure if it is confined to the 3-night cruises or not. Perhaps @csm5986142 who's getting on the ship Monday can find out. 

 

On Saturday and Sunday, there is only 1 set of comedy shows in the Limelight lounge, the PG shows. The 18+ shows are held in the main show lounge, combined into one show that starts at 10:45. It was a welcome change, because we were unable to get into the 10pm shows the first night because it was already too crowded. 

 

Last night at 10pm in the Limelight lounge they had something called Adult Game Night. I was curious about what that was going to be, so I went to it after the casino. They were absolutely checking IDs at the door (well, not for this 62 year old, I just smirked at him when I asked if he needed to see my ID). It was standing room only there. and was a pretty wild setup. The had DJ11 set up spinning some tunes, while they were getting everything set up. After obligatory screening of the audience, (If you are under 18, Get the $%$% out, if you are easily offended, GTFO, ) etc. The cruise director, Gabe, said he was the one to talk Carnival into trying this so it was important that what happened in Adult Game night stayed in Adult Game night, don't go posting it on Insta, etc. Then it went into basically team trivia, with very dirty team names, and very dirty questions. It was pretty wild, and there's nothing wrong with that. I decided to leave after a while because I needed to stop by to see the casino host before going into the late comedy show.

[KmomChicago]

2 minutes ago, Wanna_Cruize said:

 

I think I found the reason for it. but not sure if it is confined to the 3-night cruises or not. Perhaps @csm5986142 who's getting on the ship Monday can find out. 

 

On Saturday and Sunday, there is only 1 set of comedy shows in the Limelight lounge, the PG shows. The 18+ shows are held in the main show lounge, combined into one show that starts at 10:45. It was a welcome change, because we were unable to get into the 10pm shows the first night because it was already too crowded. 

 

Last night at 10pm in the Limelight lounge they had something called Adult Game Night. I was curious about what that was going to be, so I went to it after the casino. They were absolutely checking IDs at the door (well, not for this 62 year old, I just smirked at him when I asked if he needed to see my ID). It was standing room only there. and was a pretty wild setup. The had DJ11 set up spinning some tunes, while they were getting everything set up. After obligatory screening of the audience, (If you are under 18, Get the $%$% out, if you are easily offended, GTFO, ) etc. The cruise director, Gabe, said he was the one to talk Carnival into trying this so it was important that what happened in Adult Game night stayed in Adult Game night, don't go posting it on Insta, etc. Then it went into basically team trivia, with very dirty team names, and very dirty questions. It was pretty wild, and there's nothing wrong with that. I decided to leave after a while because I needed to stop by to see the casino host before going into the late comedy show.

We had adult game night too but didn’t check it out, but we had an extra night. Looks like a replacement for Quest maybe? That’s what came to mind when we were onboard.

[Wanna_Cruize]

Geez, I'm really getting stuff out of order. Sorry it's so disjointed. Let's see, after Soulbound, we went to the casino to play some more cards. DH played some blackjack, and I played some Let It Ride. I won some, lost some, but we all had a good time. I always play the 3-card spot, because I believe it's easier to make that hand than the 5-card hand. I always put out a $1 bet for the dealer every time on that spot also, so if I win, they win. I may win or lose in the end, but they always win, and really appreciate the tips. I got a couple of straights, and some triplets, and I think the dealer ended up dropping over $100 into the tip jar when their shift was over. After a while I went and played with my DH on his table, he was up quite a bit. His dealer was making BANK though, because DH puts a $5 bet out for the dealer on each hand. Believe me, that gets a lot of attention from the Casino Boss and Host. In fact we had a nice conversation with Karisma the Casino Host, and she offered us any perk we wanted, as a thank you. We already had enough wine, and were still full from the Steakhouse on the first night, so I asked about a pedicure from the spa. Karisma said she'd call down and get an appt for me, so stop by later in the night and she'd let me know. Between Adult Game night and the Comedy show, I found here and got my appt time of 1pm today. Woo-hoo, pretty toes for me. 

[Wanna_Cruize]

6 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

We had adult game night too but didn’t check it out, but we had an extra night. Looks like a replacement for Quest maybe? That’s what came to mind when we were onboard.

Probably, I know that a lot of people really miss the Quest show. We'll see, I'll check it out on our July cruise and see what it is then. Tonight they are having an event at 10pm in the limelight lounge titled "Throwback Hour with Your Fun Squad Host" - Description: "Talk about a blast from the past! Dance our heart out with the bet music from yesteryear in this groovy throwback set"

[Wanna_Cruize]

I do know after the casino, DH went to the cabin to sleep, and I checked out the Piano Bar for the first time. Alejandro was performing, and it was pretty full, but there were random seats if you don't mind sitting with other people. I did find a spot along the rail, and put in a request for Tiny Dancer and Jessie's Girl. Alejandro did OK, but the energy was not as jumping as I have experienced in other shows, and I had a lot of other items to check out that night, so I only stayed a bit. Maybe I'll give it a try again tonight. 

 

I think that's all the stuff from yesterday. In our cabin was a small bag of cookies, "Sweets for our Suite guests". Did I mention that we're in a suite for the first time ever? I think I did! 😂

 

Anyhow, I'm off to maybe grab a snack and then go to my Fire & Ice pedicure. I'll be back later with another report. 

[Wanna_Cruize]

@CC Help Jenn Just tagging you to my live review. Looking for my 'rare' tag if possible. Thanks, have a great day!!

 

[Buffettfan 225]

18 hours ago, csm5986142 said:

 

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!

Well, had to cancel this Monday’s Radiance cruise. Total surprise when husband tested positive yesterday and was asymptomatic (and fully vaccinated, wears M95 masks). Even did another brand test and again positive. So sad. But got future cruise credit. Now he has fever, so glad we did have to test as not spread and he would be feeling bad. Enjoy I can cruise virtually with you at least. We were sailing for our Anniversary 37 years too. Will have to book a suite next time and go all out. So cabin 9230 is now open for Mon June 13 sailing. 

Edited June 12, 2022 by Buffettfan 225

[csm5986142]

1 minute ago, Buffettfan 225 said:

Well, had to cancel this Monday’s Radiance cruise. Total surprise when husband tested positive yesterday and was asymptomatic (and fully vaccinated, wears M95 masks). Even did another brand test and again positive. So sad.

 

Oh no, I'm SO sorry to hear that! 

There are a total of 5 of us going tomorrow and I literally could not sleep (was up every hour Friday night) worried about testing yesterday.  Thankfully we all tested negative (tons of people in our area have covid right now, so I was really worried).

Well darn, I hope you still have a happy anniversary (37 years?  So impressive!).

[Wanna_Cruize]

50 minutes ago, Buffettfan 225 said:

Well, had to cancel this Monday’s Radiance cruise. Total surprise when husband tested positive yesterday and was asymptomatic (and fully vaccinated, wears M95 masks). Even did another brand test and again positive. So sad. But got future cruise credit. Now he has fever, so glad we did have to test as not spread and he would be feeling bad. Enjoy I can cruise virtually with you at least. We were sailing for our Anniversary 37 years too. Will have to book a suite next time and go all out. So cabin 9230 is now open for Mon June 13 sailing. 

So sorry to hear this. Happened to us for our January cruise, tested positive 3 days out. Carnival was very helpful in getting us rescheduled and refunding prior purchases. Hope he keeps having a mild case. Mine felt like a normal cold and was gone in a couple of days. 

[Buffettfan 225]

Thank you. Have a wonderful time. At least we did this exact cruise Feb 28th but only had 1100 on board! So we will return in future.  I did a review and posted our fun times etc if interested.Lease let me know if sea day brunch steak & eggs is still filet mignon, or they changed steak type. It was best meal all week. 
If anyone is doing the golf cart rental on Catalina, I attached our rental map. To save time, skip the left yellow that goes up to botanical gardens (unless want to pay admission and go see the grounds.) otherwise it is a “not interesting up and back section can skip imo) use your time more wisely taking the right fork that goes pack golf course. Stop-in its small building on right- it was home to original Chicago Cubs training way back. Skipping the left fork will save at least 20min. 

[Buffettfan 225]

47 minutes ago, csm5986142 said:

 

Oh no, I'm SO sorry to hear that! 

There are a total of 5 of us going tomorrow and I literally could not sleep (was up every hour Friday night) worried about testing yesterday.  Thankfully we all tested negative (tons of people in our area have covid right now, so I was really worried).

Well darn, I hope you still have a happy anniversary (37 years?  So impressive!).

Anyone driving & parking at Long Beach port? If yes, I suggest backing into a spot and try and get a downward ramp parking spot. It can become grid lock if you leave lot later in am after cruise and backing out really tough. 

[Wanna_Cruize]

12 minutes ago, Buffettfan 225 said:

Anyone driving & parking at Long Beach port? If yes, I suggest backing into a spot and try and get a downward ramp parking spot. It can become grid lock if you leave lot later in am after cruise and backing out really tough. 

Can attest, backing in is the way to go. 

[karriec]

Enjoying your review.  What type of room are you staying in? 😉

[KmomChicago]

4 hours ago, Buffettfan 225 said:

Well, had to cancel this Monday’s Radiance cruise. Total surprise when husband tested positive yesterday and was asymptomatic (and fully vaccinated, wears M95 masks). Even did another brand test and again positive. So sad. But got future cruise credit. Now he has fever, so glad we did have to test as not spread and he would be feeling bad. Enjoy I can cruise virtually with you at least. We were sailing for our Anniversary 37 years too. Will have to book a suite next time and go all out. So cabin 9230 is now open for Mon June 13 sailing. 

So sorry this happened!

[CC Help Jenn]

18 hours ago, Wanna_Cruize said:

@CC Help Jenn Just tagging you to my live review. Looking for my 'rare' tag if possible. Thanks, have a great day!!

 

Thanks for the heads up!  Look forward to reading along 🙂 

[Ranyw]

20 hours ago, Buffettfan 225 said:

Well, had to cancel this Monday’s Radiance cruise. Total surprise when husband tested positive yesterday and was asymptomatic (and fully vaccinated, wears M95 masks). Even did another brand test and again positive. So sad. But got future cruise credit. Now he has fever, so glad we did have to test as not spread and he would be feeling bad. Enjoy I can cruise virtually with you at least. We were sailing for our Anniversary 37 years too. Will have to book a suite next time and go all out. So cabin 9230 is now open for Mon June 13 sailing. 

wishing home a speedy recovery.

[Wanna_Cruize]

Well, folks, I'll be back a bit later (hopefully tonight) to finish up the last day of the cruise. It got pretty hectic and crazy on Monday going back to work, and I've been non-stop since then. I'll also upload my camera pics including the video I made of the Ocean Suite. 

 

Sorry for the delay. 

 

[csm5986142]

On 6/12/2022 at 11:57 AM, Wanna_Cruize said:

Perhaps @csm5986142 who's getting on the ship Monday can find out. 

 

So this was kind of strange.  As it turned out we had no shows this cruise.  Well, to clarify, no shows with singers/dancers in the Theater.

I went to guest services to ask why and they insisted there were shows (I probably just missed them on the app).  So I took screen shots of every evening schedule (with no theater shows listed) and went to the "Question/Answer with the Cruise Director".  But I didn't need my screen shots, 🙂 he immediately agreed that there were no shows this week.  He said it was due to technical difficulties/a broken LED screen at the back of the stage.  I can take or leave the shows since we cruise so often, we have seen most of them.  

As an aside, I asked him what our capacity was - 3100.

Edited June 17, 2022 by csm5986142

[Buffettfan 225]

Husband almost 95% from last weeks positive covid test and having to cancel Best medicine, I rebooked this cruise for Aug.

Question- did they use both dining rooms now? our senior parents now joining us, and requested fixed early dining. Just wondering- assume Sunrise deck 4?